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AN 



EXPOSITION 



OF VIEWS RESPECTING 



THE PRINCIPAL FACTS, CAUSES AND PECULIARITIES 



INVOLVED IN 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS 



TOGETHER WITH INTERESTING PHENOMENAL 
STATEMENTS AM) COMMUNICATIOJ 



BY 

|/ 

ADIX BALLOl. 



" If a spirit or .in angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight 

against God.'*— A< ti wiii : 9. 
M Arc they not all ministering spirit- :"— Il» ■!». i : 14. 
44 Believe not even spirit, but try the spirits whether they 

be of God."— I John iv : 1. 



BOSTON : 

BELA MARSH, PUBLISHER, 25 CORNHILL. 

1852. 






<8Tommunttg iitess, 2£oj)e&ale, J&ass. 



PREFACE. 



Tins little book is an exposition of the author's 
views respecting Modern Spirit Manifestations, 
commonly designated as " the knockings" " the 
rappings" " the tippings" " the writings," &x. 
It contains also a collection of authentic state- 
ments concerning phenomenal demonstrations, to- 
gether with interesting communications purport- 
ing to have come from departed spirits. The 
author publishes it for the following reasons : — 
1. Because he deems the subject worthy of serious 
consideration, and desires to aid in commending 
it to public attention. 3. Because he sees the 
extreme* into which over credulous believers on one 
side, and pertinacious skeptics on the other, are 
running, and desires to guard honest minds against 
all rash and wholesale conclusions. 3. Because 
he believes that a just and discriminating faith in 
spirit manifestations, such as he sets forth, will 
promote the regeneration of mankind individually 
and socially. 4. Because he believes that only the 
dawn of these manifestations has yet appeared, and 
desires to assist in preparing all well-disposed 
minds for the brightness of the approaching day. 
And 5. Because his conscience requires him to 



IV PREFACE. 



bear an outspoken testimony for the truth, while 
it h&s few adherents and many opposers, and thus 
to make his position clearly understood by friend 
and foe. 

There are some minds who love the truth for 
truth's sake, and are resolutely determined to fol- 
low it whithersoever it may lead them, who, at the 
same time, are no less resolutely determined not 
to be imposed on either by others or by themselves, 
and who also possess confidence enough in their 
own judgment to pursue an investigation manfully. 
Others are greatly deficient in this true mental 
nobility. They are narrow, superficial, prejudiced, 
captious, twistical, cowardly, or fickle. Some of 
these seem to have the power of believing or dis- 
believing any thing, just as it may happen to strike 
their feelings, taste, fancy, wishes or predetermi- 
nation for the time being. Sound, far-reaching, 
comprehensive reason has little to do with the facts 
and considerations of cases under their adjudica- 
tion. The author cordially sympathizes with the 
l first mentioned class of minds, and though he can- 
not with the latter, he will bear with them, and 
try to make the best of them until they shall be- 
come enlightened, elevated, and ennobled, under 
the great process of discipline through which the 
universal Father is conducting us all. 

Reader, dost thou believe implicitly and unqual- 
ifiedly in whatever purports to be spirit manifesta- 
tions and communications, despite of the puerili- 



PREFACE. 



ties, incongruities, contradictions and absurdities 
occasionally developed ? If so, thou wilt find thy 
faith and ardor moderated by these pages; but 
thou wilt not be injured by the enlightenment of 
thy judgment. Wisdom shall correct thy errors, 
and confirm thee in ail the truth. Art thou one 
of those unreasonable beings who, because of 
these incidental puerilities, incongruities, contra- 
dictions, and absurdities, despise the whole of 
this phenomena, and deny that departed spirits 
have any thing to do with it ! If so, thou wilt 
find thyself rebuked ; but thou shall not be harmed, 
unless thou harm thyself. Art thou one of the 
Sadducees, whose habit it is to look wise, sneer at 
and denounce all pretended spiritual manifestations 
he product of jugglery, or of a diseased imagi- 
nation ? It were well for thee to be cured of thy 
scorn : but if nothing herein written shall have 
this good effect, remember that truth will vindicate 
itself, and that if thou scornest, thou alone must 
bear it. Or, worst of all, art thou a bigoted and 
persecuting Pharisee, who ascribest all these 
demonstrations to the Devil 1 If so, probably thou 
wilt not read this book. Go, then, and read what 
the ancient generation of thy sect said of Christ 
and his works ; how they accused Him of being a 
Samaritan and having a devil ; how He rebuked 
their pride, hypocrisy, and wickedness ; how He 
predicted their coming woes; and how all His 
words were fulfilled. And be thou warned, lest 



PREFACE. 



thou fall into the same condemnation and calam- 
ity. But to all the humble, candid, noble-souled 
disciples of wisdom, however classed or desig- 
nated, these pages are offered in full confidence, 
that their contents will be carefully read, justly 
appreciated, and profitably improved. 

A. B. 
Hopedale, Mass., June 1, 1852. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



CHAPTER I. 

A general statement ofPhenominal Facts — Theory 
of Matter, Spirit, Human Spirits, the Spirit 
World, Spiricity as a communicable and inter- 
changeable Element between Spirits, Medium- 
ship, fyc. — The Cardinal Truths of New 
Testament Christianity not contradicted, but 
corroborated by modern Spirit Manifestations. 

This subject opens with a host of phenomenal 
facts, which take place without any perceivable or 
conscious mortal agency, either physical or mental 
These facts are the inductive rudiments of the sub- 
ject. They are to be considered and accounted 
for. Among the more prominent of these are the 
following : — 1. Making peculiar noises, indicative 
of more or less intelligence ; such as knockings, 
rappings, jarrings, creakings, tickings, imitation 
of many sounds known in the different vicissitudes 
of human life, musical intonations, and, in rare 
instances, articulate speech. Some of these va- 
rious sounds are very loud, distinct, and forcible ; 
others, low, less distinct, and more gentle, but all 
audible realities. 2. The moving of material sub- 



w SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

stances, with like indications of intelligence ; such 
as tables, sofas, light-stands, chairs, and various 
other articles; shaking, tipping, sliding, raising 
them clear of the floor, placing them in new posi- 
tions, (all this sometimes in spite of athletic and 
heavy men doing their utmost to hold them down ;) 
taking up the passive body of a person, and carry- 
ing it from one position to another across the 
room, through mid air ; opening and shutting 
doors ; thrumming musical instruments ; undoing 
well clasped pocket-books, taking out their con- 
tents, and then, by request, replacing them as be- 
fore ; writing with pens, pencils, and other sub- 
stances both liquid and solid, sometimes on paper, 
sometimes on common slates, and sometimes on 
the ceilings of a room, &c. 3. Causing catalepsy, 
trance, clairvoyance, and various involuntary mus- 
cular, nervous and mental activity in mediums, 
independent of any will or conscious psychological 
influence by men in the flesh, and then through 
such mediums, speaking, writing, preaching, lec- 
turing, philosophizing, prophesying, &c. 4. Pre- 
senting apparitions, in some instances, of a spirit 
hand and arm, in others, of the whole human 
form, and in others, of several deceased persons 
conversing together ; causing distinct touches to 
be felt by the mortal living, grasping and shaking 
their hands ; and giving many other sensible 
demonstrations of their existence. 5. Through 
these various manifestations communicating to 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 9 

men in the flesh numberless affectionate and intel- 
ligent assurances of an immortal existence, mes- 
sages of consolation, and annunciations of distant 
events unknown at the time, but subsequently cor- 
roborated ; predictions of forth-coming occur- 
rences subsequently verified, forevvarnings against 
impending danger, medicinal prescriptions of great 
efficacy, wholesome reproofs, admonitions and 
counsels, expositions of spiritual, theological, re- 
ligious, moral and philosophical truths appertain- 
ing to the present and future states, and important 
to human welfare in every sphere of existence, 
sometimes comprised in a single sentence, and 
sometimes in an ample book. 

This is a general statement of the facts to be 
considered and disposed of in a just discussion of 
this subject. Some of them are seemingly f if not 
really, miraculous, and all of them are astonishing 
to the common mind. But they are facts, prova- 
ble by as conclusive testimony as is requisite to 
the determination of cases in our judicatories of 
law, natural philosophy or religion. If any man 
presume to deny that they arc facts, he is either 
one who, having never investigated the subject, is 
grossly ignorant of its merits ; or who, pretending 
to have investigated it, is grossly dishonest. Such 
a man's negations are entitled, perhaps, to some 
indulgence and pity, but to no respect. If any 
honestly doubt for want of adequate opportunity to 
observe the phenomena, or to examine testimony, 



10 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

they will of course suspend judgment till they can 
avail themselves of the necessary information. 
Light awaits all such, and they will not reject 
it. 

I have spoken very positively respecting these 
rudimental facts. I consider myself competent to 
speak thus, and am willing to take the responsi- 
bility. I have said that they take place without 
any perceivable or conscious mortal agency, either 
physical or mental. Let all this be remem- 
bered. But let it also be remembered, that some 
things are not asserted. It is not asserted that all 
these facts are equally common, or equally prov- 
able. It is not asserted that there are no counter- 
feits, or illusive resemblances of these facts. It 
is not asserted that no phenomena resembling any 
of them are ever produced by minds in the body, 
or by earthly causes. It is not asserted that the 
real manifestations are always easily distinguish- 
able from concomitant ones produced by mundane 
influences. It is not asserted that there are no 
incongruities, contradictions, and absurdities inci- 
dentally developed in these phenomenal facts. It 
is not asserted that the real agency which causes 
these facts is as knowable as the facts themselves. 
Finally, it is not asserted that the man who, ad- 
mitting the facts, doubts whether departed spirits 
actually cause them, stands on the same level of 
ignorance or dishonesty with him who impudently 
denounces the whole thing as " humbug." I am 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 11 

for just discrimination in all things. Therefore, 
let me be held responsible for what I assert — 
neither less nor more. I believe that departed 
spirits cause many of these phenomena, but not 
all of them. I believe that spirits in the flesh, 
i. e., the mind of the medium, or the minds of 
persons surrounding the medium sometimes thwart, 
warp, peculiarize, or modify the manifestations and 
communications made. I also believe that low 
and very imperfect departed spirits sometimes 
manifest themselves. This is the ground I take. 
It enables me to account for the multifarious relia- 
ble and w/ireliable developments of this mysterious 
agency more satisfactorily than any other. I shall 
do so in accordance with the following 

THEORY. 

1. Matter and Spirit are both eternally co-ex- 
istent substances in the universe, essentially dif- 
ferent in their nature ; Matter inert and passive, 
Spirit vivific and active. Each exists in various 
gradations of excellence, more gross or more re- 
fined ; the finer pervading the coarser through all 
degrees. The lowest grade of Spirit is always 
more subtle, elastic, and penetrative than the most 
ethereal Matter. Hence all force, motion, forma- 
tion, organization, sensation, and intelligence 
originate in and are sustained by Spirit. 

2. Matter and Spirit exist both individuated 
and imindividuated throughout space, in their 



12 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

respective corresponding gradations. Individu- 
ated entities, Material and Spiritual, continually 
impart and imbibe ?/mndividuated substance by 
radiation and absorption. Hence the countless 
influences of one being on another by communi- 
cation. Hence among sensific, rational, and 
moral beings, the endless variety of what are 
called magnetic effect — attracting, repelling, in- 
spiring, and controlling according to capability in 
one individual and susceptibility in another. 

3. All human spirits, departed and wwdeparted, 
are essentially of the same nature and constitu- 
tion, differing chiefly in capability, susceptibility, 
and practicality. Each spirit is an individuation of 
Spirit-substance, combined with and interiorating 
a corresponding individuation of Matter. This 
Spirit is the soul of man — the man proper — which 
animates the fleshly body during mortal life, and 
departs from it at death. Hence there is a com- 
plicated connection between human spirits, wheth- 
er in the fleshly body or out of it, giving rise to 
innumerable reciprocal influences, which can be 
fully understood and comprehended only by the 
Supreme Paternal Spirit. 

4. Human spirits in the flesh have two different 
spheres of consciousness — an external material 
sphere, and an internal spiritual sphere. The 
great majority of mankind are ordinarily in the 
material sphere, and consequently unconscious of 
their most interior relations and condition. Some 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. IS 

are temporarily thrown into their internal spiritual 
sphere — when they are conscious only of their in- 
terior relations and spiritual state, being quite 
insensible to material existences and events. A 
few pass and repass from one of these spheres to 
the other, so as partially to blend their two con- 
sciousnesses into one. Dreamers, somnambulists. 
mesmeric subjects, clairvoyants, seers, and what 
are called spirit mediums, are of this general 
description. These are more susceptible, recep- 
tive, and retentive of spiritual magnetism than the 
generality of people. Hence the manifold spirit- 
ual phenomena of all ages. When abstracted 
from their spiritual sphere of consciousness, hu- 
man spirits come naturally into communication 
with departed spirits, and thus open an imperfect 
intercourse between the two states of existence. 
In such cases there is always a superabundance 
of spiritual magnetism absorbed into and accumu- 
lated about the dreamer, somnambulist, clairvoy- 
ant, seer, or medium, by means of which more 
positive spirits can exert their peculiar powers, 
and maintain some sort of communication with 
the persons and things immediately circumjacent. 
For the sake of greater conciseness and signifi- 
cance, I will take the liberty to coin a w T ord, and call 
this subtle ethereo-spiritual substance Spiricity. 
It is partly of the same substance with individual 
soul-spirits, constitutes their congenial atmosphere, 
and serves as their principal element of intercom- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



munication. They can inhale and absorb it, ex- 
hale and radiate it, impregnate it with their pecu- 
liarities of thought, affection, and will, and thus 
transmit influences to inconceivable distances, 
nay, transport their perceptive consciousness so 
as to be virtually present anywhere within their 
permitted range of existence. 

5. Implicit reliance cannot be placed on the 
mere ^corroborated pretensions or communica- 
tions of spirits, as absolutely veritable — for three 
important reasons, viz. : — 1. There are multitudes 
of imperfect and low spirits, most of whom are in 
nearer proximity to the material sphere of human 
consciousness than the purer departed spirits. 2. 
The transition of dreamers, somnambulists, clair- 
voyants, seers, &c, from the Material to the Spir- 
itual sphere of consciousness and back again, is 
liable to such a mixture and confusion of dissimi- 
lar ideas, that more or less of phantasy, obscura- 
tion, and perversion must occasionally supervene. 
3. The generality of mankind are so ignorant of 
spiritual realities, laws, and conditions, so wanting 
in discernment and candor, and so prone to errors 
of reason as well as imagination, that few are even 
tolerably qualified to understand and make a 
proper use of spiritual communications. Hence 
the strange mixtures of truth and error, reality 
and phantasy, consistency and contradiction, grav- 
ity and levity, sober probability and wild extrava- 
gance, rational thought and fallacious imagination, 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 15 

presented in dreams, clairvoyant visions, spirit- 
trances, and the whole family of mental and spir- 
itual phenomena. Hence also the abuses and 
mischiefs often attendant on such marvellous de- 
velopments. 

Our allwise and benignant Father in heaven 
has left no essential Truth or Righteousness de- 
pendent on the mere pretension, or ^corroborated 
testimony either of departed or wndeparted spirits. 
He has addressed his revealments of essential 
truth and duty to the moral reason of mankind, 
and authenticated them by every necessary attes- 
tation. Any attempt, therefore, to build up a 
religion or moral philosophy, radically different 
from that of the genuine Christian Testament, on 
what is being disclosed to the world through 
Dreamers, Somnambulists, Impressibles, Clairvoy- 
ants, Spirit Media, the Rappings, &,c, is absurd, 
and must prove mischievous rather than beneficial 
to the human race. But fundamental truths and 
duties may be reaffirmed, clarified from error, 
demonstrated anew, and powerfully commended 
to the embrace of mankind by fresh spiritual 
communications. I am of opinion that this 
is really the case ; and the conversion of many 
long confirmed atheists and deistical rejectors of 
the Christian revelation confirms me in it. Men 
who long regarded as utterly incredible fictions all 
the accounts of supernatural demonstrations given 
by the Evangelists and Apostles, — such as angelic 



16 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

visitations and interpositions connected with the 
birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus ; 
the appearance of Moses and Elias to him ; his 
walking on the water, healing the sick, casting 
spirits out of demoniacs, and recalling the souls 
of deceased persons ; the stone being rolled from 
his sepulchre by a celestial spirit ; many of the 
dead reappearing ; his own repeated personal 
manifestation after death, and sudden vanishing ; 
his ascension; the wonders of the Pentecostal 
occasion ; Peter's being liberated from prison, 
&/C, &/C, now humbly confess their conviction, 
from what they have recently witnessed, that all 
these things may have taken place, and probably 
did. When I behold these conversions, and read 
such sound, discriminating, pungent, and practi- 
cal expositions of religion and morals as are pre- 
sented in the two works recently communicated 
through the Mediumship of Charles Hammond, I 
have no fears that the spiritual faith, piety, hu- 
man ity r and morality, which constitute the genuine 
religion of Christ, will ever be undermined or 
superseded by New Light. Its temporary exter- 
nals, incidentals, misconstructions, adulterations, 
and traditionary appendages, may be exposed and 
invalidated. The carnal expediency, worldly mind- 
edness, and anti-Christianity of the nominal 
church may be swept away. Be it even so. Is 
there a true Christian that fears such results, or 
will ivccp at their consummation ? Not one. It 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 17 

is only those whose merchandize is in false relig- 
ion, slaves, and the souls of men, that will cry, 
" Alas ! Alas P* Great is Truth, and mighty 
is Right. These shall prevail, and man be re- 
deemed. 



18 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



CHAPTER II. 

Three Classes of Cases to be considered — Class 
First taken up — Statement of A. H. Jar vis, 
and Remarks ; of George Willets, and Re- 
in arks. 

Having stated in the preceding chapter my gen- 
eral Position and Theory, I proceed to the con- 
sideration of particular cases. I shall arrange 
these cases into three general classes, viz. : — I. 
Those in which all the important demonstrations 
were most evidently caused by departed spirits. 
II. Those in which some of the important demon- 
strations were probably caused, or greatly affected, 
by wradeparted spirits. III. Those in which the 
demonstrations were of a heterogeneous, incongru- 
ous, or derogatory character. Thus the whole 
ground will be covered, and an opportunity given 
for criticism on every considerable point. No 
cases will be presented which I have not good rea- 
son to regard as real and well authenticated. 

CLASS FIRST. 

Those cases in which all the important demon- 
strations were most evidently caused by departed 
spirits. 

Statement of A. H. Jarvis, a Methodist clergy- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 19 

man, Rochester, New York, copied from Capron 
and Barron's " History of the Mysterious 
Communion of Spirits," second edition, pp. 
38,39. 

" There are many facts which have come under 
my observation equally convincing of the intelli- 
gence and utility of the communications from 
these unseen agents, who I now believe are con- 
tinually about us, and more perfectly acquainted 
with all our ways, and even our thoughts, than we 
are with each other. But the fact in reference to 
my friend Pickard is what you desire. He was 
at my house on Friday afternoon, April 6, 1849. 
None of the Fox family were present. While at 
the tea table we had free communications on dif- 
ferent subjects. Pickard was requested to ask 
questions. He desired to know who it was that 
would answer questions. The answer was — ' I 
am your mother, Mary Pickard/ Her name or 
the fact of her death was not known to any of us. 
The next Monday evening he (Pickard) was at 

Mr. G J s, and tarried there over night. He 

there received a communication, purporting to be 
from his mother, saying, ' Your child is dead.' 
He came immediately to my place, and said he 
should take the stage for home, (Lockport, 60 
miles distant.) He left in the stage at 8 or 9, A. 
M. At 12, M., I returned to my house, my wife 
meeting me with a telegraph envelop. I broke the 

seal and read mentally first, — 
b2 



*20 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

" < Rochester, April 10, 1849. 
" ' By telegraph from Lockport — to Rev. A. H. 
Jarvis, No. 4 West st. 

" ' Tell Mr. Pickard, if you can find him, his 
child died this morning. — Answer. 

" < R. Mallory.' 
" I then read it to my wife, and said, ' This is 
one of the best and most convincing evidence of 
the intelligence of those invisible agents,;' and 
then I added, ' God's telegraph has outdone 
Morse's altogether.' Yours, truly, 

" A. H. Jarvis. 
" To E. W. Capron, Auburn." 

REMARKS. 

In this case, a man named Pickard hears 
sounds, or " knockings," in the houses of two 
different families in Rochester, N. Y. These 
sounds purport to be caused by departed spirits. 
He asks questions and receives answers, in the 
method now common on such occasions. To 
the question — who is it that will now answer me? 
— the response is — " I am your mother, Mary 
Pickard." Neither her name nor death was 
known to any one present but himself. On the 
morning of the 10th of April, 1849, while at 

G 's, he receives from what purports to be 

the spirit of his mother the communication, 
" Your child is dead." He mentions this to Mr. 
Jarvis, and immediately starts for Lockport, his 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 21 

home, 60 miles distant, by stage. At noon of the 
same day, and of course before Pickard reached 
home, Mr. Jarvis receives a telegraphic message 
from Lockport, requesting him to tell Pickard, if 
he can find him, that his child died that morning. 
So it appears that the child's death was reported 
to Pickard almost at the moment of the decease, 
through " the rappings," though he was then at a 
distance of 60 miles from the scene. 

What are we to do with these facts ? Was it 
the departed spirit of Mary Pickard that caused 
these rappings; and through them intelligently 
and correctly spelled out to her son, " Your child 
is dead?" I must believe it was. I may doubt; 
but why should I ! Shall I do so because it seems 
to me impossible, or incredible? Why impossi- 
ble ? Why incredible ? Shall I, because it is so 
extraordinary ? This will not answer. I am 
bound to be rational and candid. Can I other- 
wise account for the facts, so as to get rid of the 
marvelous ? There are minds who will bolt out- 
right, and pronounce the whole statement a fiction, 
rather than be decent enough to admit that they 
are ignorant of innumerable wonders in the unex- 
plored regions of being. I cannot let myself 
down to that grade of mentality. I prefer being 
laughed at as a simpleton. 

A more elevated class of minds, however, will 
say — " It is very mysterious ; but probably Mes- 
merism or Clairvoyance, acting upon and through 



'22 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

the Medium, caused the phenomena." How is 
this probable ? What is Mesmerism ? What is 
Clairvoyance ? Or what is that something which 
acts on and through a Mesmeric or Clairvoyant 
subject ? No doubt it is a very fine, elastic, sub- 
tle, invisible substance or element of the mental 
or spiritual nature. Some call it Spiritual Mag- 
netism ; I call it Spiricity. Well, this can be 
passed from a positive to a negative person. But 
it has no consciousness, or will of its own — has it ? 
Certainly not, while existing in an unorganized, 
impersonal state. It is a spiritual atmosphere, or 
element, serving as a medium of communication 
to conscious intelligences. By means of it, under 
favorable conditions, its subjects are brought to 
recognize persons, things, and events far from 
their bodily location. No doubt of this. Are 
departed spirits less able to make use of this same 
medium than wwdeparted ones ? Are they less 
likely to make use of it? Probably not. Proba- 
bly they are more able and more likely to make 
use of it ; since it must be the principal, if not 
the only medium through which they can commu- 
nicate with spirits in the flesh. It becomes a sim- 
ple question — Did a departed spirit really tell 
Pickard that his child was dead? Or did the 
Medium, or some positive mind through the Me- 
dium, find out and communicate to him this fact? 
If the spirit purporting to be Mary Pickard really 
communicated the fact as set forth, all is natural, 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 23 

simple, and consistent — however wonderful. But 
on the other supposition, the fact was found out 
and communicated by the Medium, incited by 
some other mind or minds, magnetically. Was 
the Medium conscious of going mentally to Lock- 
port and seeing what had taken place in Pickard's 
family ? Was any one present conscious of send- 
ing the mind of the Medium on such an errand ? 
No such thing is stated or hinted. There is not 
the least reason to presume that any one of them 
was conscious of any such process. But might 
not the whole process have transpired unconscious- 
ly to the Medium 1 It is barely possible ; since 
we know so little of the laws of mental and spirit- 
ual nature, that we can hardly say what is or is 
not possible. Yet there is little probability of any 
such unconscious process having taken place. 
We have no right to assume any such thing 1 If 
we should, we have not escaped the marvelous, 
nor lightened the exaction made on our faith I 
Suppose it for a moment. It is now unconscious 
Clairvoyance that works the wonder — or uncon- 
scious Spiricity. How can an unconscious, un- 
organized element understand specific questions ? 
How transmit itself to a particular place, ascertain 
important facts, return and express them by rap- 
pings? How or why pretend to be a particular 
person — a departed spirit — with a particular name ? 
Is this natural, rational, consistent, or at all proba- 
ble I If the statement purporting to give the facts 



24 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

be incredible, how much more this beggarly sup- 
position ? Reasonable minds will not attempt to 
relieve their skepticism by such doses. I con- 
clude, therefore, that unless some of the parties to 
* the statement of this Jarvis and Pickard case can 
be convicted of a fraud, it must be set dow'n as one 
in which a departed spirit most evidently mani- 
fested itself and communicated through " The 
Rappings." 

Statement of Geo. Willets, Rochester, N. Y. 
Condensed. Capron &, Barron's History, &,c, 
pp. 51 — 53. Took place in the summer of 1848. 

" All which I shall relate as obtained from those 
sounds was in the presence only of my friends, 
Mr. and Mrs. Post, [Isaac Post and wife,] myself, 
and the little girl spoken of. As what follows all 
purported to be from my father, I will say that his 
name was William Willets, a member of the 
Society of Friends, widely known at Westbury, 
L. I., where he lived until near sixty years of 
age, and subsequently at Skaneateles, Onondaga 
county, where he died in 1841. The communica- 
tion by sounds then went on to say, that it was my 
father that was present and talking with me, and 
three hours were consumed at the first interview. 
In saying to me what his counsel was, it always 
assumed to counsel and advise, but never to dic- 
tate. He said that it was not best for us to go to 
Michigan, and gave various reasons. 

" I then asked what was best to do. The an- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 25 

swer then was, ' Come to Rochester.' I replied 
that I knew of no business that I could do in 
Rochester. The sounds said, * I will tell .thee 
when thee comes.' I asked if I might know now. 
The answer was — ' No ! I did not need any busi- 
ness until I came, and then he would tell me.' 
The sounds then said, that after a time it would 
be best for me to buy some land. I asked where. 
The sounds then spelled out the name of a man 
whom no one present knew, and said that he 
owned fifty acres of land on such a street adjoin- 
ing the city, and such a distance from the center 
of the city, that he would sell any part. I asked 
the price that would be asked. The sounds were 
heard and counted by three of us, — one hundred 
and fifty times in succession — to tell us the num- 
ber of dollars per acre that would be asked. The 
sounds said that we had better go the next day and 
see if this was so, and said that we should not see 
the man until ten o'clock, though we might look 
for him as early as we pleased. 

" In the morning I looked in the Directory and 
there found the name spelled out to us, and went 
to his residence at seven o'clock and was informed 
that he had gone to a distant part of the city, and 
would not be home until twelve o'clock. We 
then went to find him and had some difficulty to 
do so, but after talking with him five or six min- 
utes, looked at the time and it was seven minutes 
passed ten ! This person said that he owned fifty 

I 



26 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

acres of land on fhe street told us by the sounds, 
and that he would sell any part. When I asked 
him the price, he showed me a map with the price 
of each lot marked, and taking the number of 
acres, said by the sounds to be best to buy, and 
averaging the price, it was the price told us within 
6-100 of a dollar per acre. 

" The first of December, 1848, I moved from 
Waterloo to Rochester. A few days after getting 
here, the little girl spoken of came round to our 
house and said that the ' Spirit' had directed her 
to come, for what purpose she did not know ; we 
inquired what it was, and this was the communi- 
cation : ( I told thee if thee would come to Ro- 
chester, I would tell thee where thee could find 
employment ; in four days from this time I will 
tell thee. 5 

" The four days went by, and again, without 
solicitation, and without thinking the time was 
up, the little girl came. The communication 
was, ' Apply to William Wiley, Superintendent 
of the Auburn and Rochester Railroad, to-mor- 
row at two o'clock, at his office, for a situation, 
and thee will have one before this week is out.' 
(This was Thursday.) I was a stranger to Mr. 
Wiley, and I called on Mr. Post, and told him 
the direction, and asked him if the next day he 
would go with me. That evening, he happening 
to be at the depot, inquired if Mr. Wiley was at 
home, and was told that he was in Boston, and 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 27 

by a letter just received, would not be at home till 
Friday night. I was told by the sounds on Wed- 
nesday to apply on Thursday, at two o'clock. 
Thursday, at half-past one, instead of going to 
the railroad office, I went round where these 
sounds were heard, and said, ' How is this ? I 
am told to apply to William Wiley, and he is in 
Boston.' The sounds said, ' Go to his office, now 
he is there.' I called for Mr. Post and walked im- 
mediately there and found 3Ir. Wiley in his office. 
He said that he had returned sooner than he ex- 
pected to when he wrote the letter. Mr. Post 
said that I was a relative of his and wished em- 
ployment, and Mr. Wiley replied that they were 
all full, with abundant applications, and could give 
no encouragement whatever. We walked back, 
thinking deeply, and I again went where the 
sounds were heard. I inquired, How is this? 
Mr. Wiley has no glace for me. The answer x was, 
' Thee will have a place on the cars, and will 
know it before the week is out.' 

" On Saturday night, at dark, I met Mr. Post, 
and he asked if I had heard anything from Mr. 
Wiley. I replied, ' Not a word.' At eight o'clock 
on that same evening Mr. Post called at my house 
and said that Mr. Wiley had just been to his store 
and said that he had a place for me, and wished 
me to call at his office on Monday morning. As 
Mr. Wiley did not tell me what place I was to filll, 



9B SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

I again asked the sounds what it was ; and they 
said it was to go as Baggage Master between this 
place and Auburn. On Sunday morning I wrote 
to my friend James Truman of Waterloo, stating 
that I should pass through that place on Monday 
following, in the capacity above stated — before I 
knew from Mr. Wiley what place he wanted me 
to fill, and he can probably testify to that fact. 
One month after I had been running on the cars, 
I learned that the person whose place I took had 
done things worthy of a dismissal, 'previous to my 
being directed so make application, and which did 
not come to Mr. Wiley's notice till the day on 
which I received the appointment. These things 
have only been known to a few friends ; you and 
the world now have them. I have many commu- 
nications penned down at the time they were re- 
ceived, purporting to be from my father, all of the 
most elevating character, inciting me to goodness, 
purity, and honesty of heart, and ever pointing to 
the endless progression of man. In conclusion I 
may say that I have examined the matter atten- 
tively for one year and a half, and have had abun- 
dant opportunities to do so, and am prepared to 
say, although the sounds may cease to-day, and 
never be heard again. They have displayed a re- 
markable degree of intelligence, and were not made 
by any person visible to us. 

" George Willets." 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 29 

REMARKS. 

What is to be done with such a case as this ? 
Here is a succession of well-connected particulars 
respecting persons, places, transactions, predic- 
tions, and verifications, presented in a plain, hon- 
est, straight-forward statement, bearing prima 
facie evidence of the highest credibility. It is 
easy enough for the sensual, superficial, and self- 
conceited to swagger, pronounce everything of the 
kind " humbug" and declare they " won't believe 
a word of it." But this will not satisfy conscien- 
tious and reasonable beings. It may be easy for 
others to presume that Mesmerism and Clairvoy- 
ance will account for it all. But can they give 
us any tolerable explanation how ? If they can, 
are they not bound in candor to do it ? Let them 
try. Before they get half through, they will have 
trippled the difficulties and incredibilities of which 
they complain ! Others may say that they are 
neither bound to believe departed spirits manifest 
themselves in such cases, nor to account for the 
phenomena in any way. Perhaps they are not. 
But if not, I suggest that they are bound to be 
modest in their negations. If they are altogether 
doubtful and uncertain as to what is, they cer- 
tainly ought to be cautious about asserting what 
is not. 

It is unnecessary for me to go into a minute 
criticism of case second. It speaks for itself in 



30 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

the plainest and most unequivocal manner. Un- 
less the facts can be invalidated, or some deception 
be detected on the part of the persons concerned, 
there is no avoiding the conclusion, that the de- 
parted spirit of William Willets communicated 
with his son George Willets through " the rap- 
pings" And why may it not have been so? 
Why should we indulge a stubborn incredulity? 
Above all, why should persons professing to rev- 
erence Christianity set themselves up as rank un- 
believers? Is Christianity only another name for 
Sadduceeism, which denies all conscious existence 
of souls, spirits, and angels out of the flesh ? The 
very reverse. Then there must be thousands of 
millions of departed spirits ? Certainly. Where 
are they ? Does Christianity teach us that they 
are so walled out from mortal existence that they 
cannot approach the living under any circumstan- 
ces ? Nothing of the kind, but the contrary. It 
is probable, then, that spirits in the flesh are often 
influenced by kindred spirits out of the flesh in 
one way or another ? Nothing is more natural or 
more probable. The wonder is that we have so 
few distinct manifestations of spirits, rather than 
that we certainly have some occasionally. This 
is indeed the greater wonder, all things consid- 
ered ; and I can but hope it is one which will ere 
long cease. 

" But then these vulgar, undignified, awkward 
manifestations ! These ' knockings,' ' Tappings/ 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 31 

' movings,' &,c. ! Such things are unworthy of 
departed spirits ! Why don't they appear in visi- 
ble forms and speak in articulate language, like 
respectable, intelligent beings ?" I cannot tell 
why. I wish they might. Perhaps they will, 
when we shall have proved ourselves fit for such 
manifestations, by making the best use we can of 
these inferior ones. Perhaps we are not compe- 
tent to sit as judges and dictators in these matters. 
Perhaps we have yet to learn the A B C of spirit 
knowledge. Would not a little humility, rever- 
ence and decency be very becoming in such crea- 
tures as we are ? We only exhibit our folly by 
despising and quarrelling with facts, ways, and 
means which are above our control. All nature is 
full of such. 

" Go wiser thou, and in thy scale of sense 
Weigh thine opinion against Providence." 

" God hath chosen the foolish things of the 
world to confound the wise ; and weak things of 
the world to confound the things which are 
mighty ; and base things of the world, and things 
which are despised, hath God chosen, and things 
which are not, to bring to nought the things which 
are : that no flesh should glory in his presence." 
" Wisdom is justified of all her children." 

I shall continue the presentation of cases of the 
First Class, with comments, in my next chapter. 



33 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS, 



CHAPTER III. 

Cases under Class First continued. Statement of 

E. W. Capron — another Statement of A. H. 

Jarvis — sundry cases presented in extracts from 

the New York Tribune — two cases stated by 

C. Hammond of Rochester, N. Y. — Comments. 

I now give several additional cases, which, with 

the preceding, must • suffice as samples of Class 

First. Statement from the private journal of 

E. W. Capron, copied from Capron &, Barron's 

History, before cited : 

" On the 23d of November, 1848, I went to the 
city of Rochester on business. I had previously 
made up my mind to investigate the so-called mys- 
tery, if I should have an opportunity. In doing 
so, I had no doubt but what I possessed shrewdness 
enough to detect the trick, as I strongly suspected 
it to be, or discover the origin of the noise, if it 
should be unknown to the inmates of the house. 

" A friend of mine, John Kedzie, of Rochester, 
whom I had long known as a skeptic in regard to 
such wonders, invited me to go with him to hear 
it. I accepted the invitation with a feeling that 
was far from serious apprehension of communicat- 
ing with anything beyond my power to discover. 
" Before I heard the sound, we seated ourselves 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 33 

around a table. As soon as we got quiet, I heard 
a slight but distinct rapping on the floor, apparently 
on the under side. Although I concluded that 
such a sound might be made by machinery, I 
could see no possible motive in the family taking 
so much pains to deceive people, as they received 
nothing but annoyance and trouble in return for 
their pains. I proceeded to ask some questions, 
and they were answered very freely and correctly. 
I asked if it would rap my age. It was done cor- 
rectly. I then took my memorandum book from 
my pocket, and wrote my questions, so that no 
person could know the nature of them. I would 
write : ' rap four times ; rap one ; rap seven ;' and 
to each and every question I got a correct answer. 
I then laid aside my book and proceeded to ask 
similar test questions mentally, and, as before, re- 
ceived correct answers. 

" I could not believe that persons present had 
the power to discern my thoughts and make these 
sounds in answer, for the sounds have a peculiarity 
not easily imitated. To suppose this to be the 
case would make the matter a still greater mystery. 
I knew they could not give those answers, for 
there were questions answered which they could 
not know anything about. 

" At another time, being present with Isaac 

Post, of Rochester, I tried the experiment of 

counting in the following manner : I took several 

shells from a card-basket on the table, (small lake 
c 



JU SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

shells,) closed my hand and placed them entirely 
out of sight, and requested as many raps as there 
were shells. It was done correctly. As I knew 
how many shells there were in my hand, I resolved 
to test it another way, to see if there was a possi- 
bility of my mind having any influence in the mat- 
ter. I took a handful of shells without knowing 
how many I had myself. Still the answers were 
correct. I then requested Mr. Post, who sat by 
the table, to put his hand in the basket, take out 
some shells without knowing the number, and pass 
them into my hand, which I immediately closed 
and placed in a position where none could see it. 
The number was told as correctly as before. We 
continued this class of experiments for a long 
time, without the least failure in getting correct 
answers." 

Statement of A. H. Jarvis, the same witness 
named in the preceding chapter : copied from the 
same work : 

" At one time we were getting communications 
from what purported to be our son, who had been 
dead some ten years. He requested us to sing a 
hymn with the title, ' Advice to seek the Lord.' 
I took a hymn book and was proceeding to look 
for the hymn, when the alphabet was called for, 
and he spelled, ' not that.' Another was taken. 
Still he spelled, ' not that.' We had four hymn 
books in the room that we knew of, and we were 
told that it was in neither of them. I was about 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 35 

going up to my library, when he spelled, ' It is in 
this room — get the little book with a red cover.* 
After much search the book was found behind 
some ornaments, on the mantel-piece, which was 
seldom used. A hymn was found with very near 
the title given, and we thought it must be the one, 
when we were again told/ not that.' On looking 
farther, we found a hymn with exactly the title 
na?7ied, and sang it, while the sounds beat time." 

Extracts from a communication to the New 
York Tribune, dated January 20, 1851, written 
by a correspondent signed " H," whose moral 
integrity is vouched for in the strongest terms by 
the editor : 

" On one occasion I heard of the death of a 
friend, by railroad accident. I sought an inter- 
view with his spirit, at the house of Mrs. Fish. 1 
inquired of the spirits if I could have a communi- 
cation from the spirit I then thought of. I soon 
had a reply that I could. Said I, ' Is that spirit 
present?' 'Yes.'" ' Will he rap to his name?' 
' Yes. J I wrote down several, as before, and 
when I pointed to the right one, the rapping came. 
' How did you come to your death V Raps at 
* Accident. 5 ' How many days have you been 
dead?' Ans. — 'One. 5 [Correct.] ' How many 
children have you left V Ans. — ' Five.' ' Have 
you any with you V Ans. — * One. 5 This, on 
subsequent inquiry, I found to be correct, though 
I did not then know it. The spirit then called for 
c2 



: *(5 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

the alphabet, and spelled out, ' I am happy, and 
want you to acquaint my wife that I am so.' This 

was Mr. T. J., of B.'' 

# * # # # 

" I will now take a case that I have from the 
mouth of Mrs. B., an intelligent and highly re- 
spectable lady of the city of Rochester. The 
lady's mother, an elderly lady, but in full posses- 
sion of a natural vigorous mind, had become very 
much interested in the spiritual phenomena, and 
strongly impressed with its truthful reality. She 
had lost a most loved husband and son, and 
sought frequent opportunities of holding sweet 
communion with these departed ones. The 
daughter, wishing to convince the mother of the 
imposition that was being practiced upon her, ac- 
companied her mother on one of her visits. The 
spirits of her dear father and brother made such 
communications and manifestations as to perfectly 
astound her ; and, instead of convincing her 
mother, she was nearly overwhelmed herself. 
Determined to satisfy herself beyond all doubt, 
she went home, and, going into a room by her- 
self, wrote a nonsensical, disjointed sentence or 
more, commencing it with ' Dolly,' and folding it 
up, took it in her hand, and proceeded to make 
the spirits another call. The spirit of her brother 
was ready to communicate. ' Now,' said Mrs. B., 
' if you are really the spirit of my brother, and 
wish to convince me of the fact, you will please 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 37 

spell out to me what I have written upon the paper 
which I hold in my hand. 5 It commenced spelling 
the sentence, the alphabet being repeated by Mrs. 
Fish, but she stopped on the first few words being 
spelled, and said, ' This spirit is a fool/ and she 
would not repeat the alphabet for it. Mrs. B. told 
her to proceed, and see what the spirit would spell 
out. She did so, and all that was written upon 
the paper was spelled out, verbatim et literatim ! 

" When talking with the spirit of her father, 
Mrs. B. said, ' Now, if you are the spirit of my 
father, take hold of my foot.' The spirit replied, 
1 When you sit down to supper I will.' Supper 
being ready soon, she took her seat at the table, 
and a spirit called for the alphabet to be repeated. 
It was done. The spirit spelled out, ' My dear 
A., I gratified your every wish that I could while 
living; I will do so now.' Upon that, she felt a 
hand grasp her foot. About this she said she 
could not be mistaken ; and it was not possible 
for any one present, as they were then seated, to 
have deceived her. 

" On another occasion, I heard this same lady 
call upon a departed friend in the following man- 
ner : ' Is the spirit of the one I now think of pre- 
sent V As soon as she received a response in the 
affirmative, she proceeded thus : ' Will you rap to 
your name V * Yes.' The correct name was 
responded to. ' How came you to your death V 
Ans. — ' By drowning.' ■ In a river V ' No ' ' In 



33 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

a pond V ' No.' f In the ocean V < No.' ' In 
a lake V < Yes.' < What lake V ' Erie.' Were 
you on a boat?' ' Yes.' 'What boat?' ' The 
Griffith.' < Were you pushed overboard V l No, 
I "jumped with the expectation of getting to shore.' 
' How soon was your body found ? Ans. — ' Seven 
days.' ' Who found it V ' My brother.' ' How 
far from shore V Ans. — ' Two miles.' • W T hat 
had you on V Ans. — ■ A brown linen and worsted 
dress, my stockings, and a shoe on one foot.' In 
addition, the spirits told how many children she 
had left, where they were, and who had charge 
of them. And I was assured by Mrs. B. that the 
spirits had answered correctly in every particular. 
" On another occasion, a gentleman stranger 
entered the room, and announced to the company 
that he was directly from Detroit, on his way east, 
and circumstances required that he should take 
the next train of cars. He expressed a desire for 
an opportunity of testing the spirits. All readily 
and cheerfully conceded to him a preference. 
One gentleman inquired his name, but he very 
politely declined giving it, remarking he had re- 
served that as a test. He took his seat, and, with 
the air of one familiar in putting questions and 
making investigations, proceeded to question the 
invisibles. The spirits told him his name — (in the 
manner heretofore suggested in other cases) ; told 
him how many names he had (three) ; the number 
of letters in each name ; that he was a lawyer by 



r 

SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 39 



profession ; an Englishman by birth ; that he was 
a widower ; had had two wives (in answer to a men- 
tal question); that he had had fourteen children : 
that eight were living ; and that he was fifty years 
old. One of his wives' name was Georgiana ; 
that he had had five of that name in his family; 
that he had been fourteen and a half days from 
home ; and that he lived in Montreal : all of which 
the gentleman afterward assured us was correct. 
His name was Edward Adam Clark, an officer of 
the English government.'' 

Statement of Charles Hammond, Rochester, N. 
Y. Copied from a pamphlet by D. M. Dewey : 

" I had prepared my mind with certain ques- 
tions, touching events unknown to the family, and 
of a remote date. The sounds told me my age 
precisely, though my appearance is such as to in- 
dicate a difference of eight or ten years. The 
names of six of my nearest deceased relatives 
were given me. I then inquired, ' Will the spirit 
that makes these sounds give me its name V F.ive 
sounds directed me to the alphabet, which I re- 
peated until the name of ' Charles' appeared, which 
answered to an infant child whom we consigned to 
the grave in March, 1843. To my inquiries, it 
gave me a true answer in regard to the time it had 
been in the Spirit-land, and also the period since 
my eldest sister's death, which was nearly eighteen 
years ; the latter fact, not being recollected then, 
I found true by dates on my return home. Many 



40 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

other test questions were correctly answered ; and 
yet, notwithstanding the origin of these sounds 
seemed inexplicable, I was inclined to impute them 
to mesmerism or clairvoyance. However, as the 
spirit promised to satisfy me by other demonstra- 
tions, when I came again, I patiently awaited the 
opportunity. 

" On the third visit, I was selected from a half- 
dozen gentlemen, and directed by these sounds to 
retire to another room, in company with the ' three 
sisters' and their aged mother. It was about eight 
o'clock in the evening. A lighted candle was 
placed on a large table, and we seated ourselves 
around it. I occupied one side of the table, the 
mother and the youngest daughter the right, and 
two of the sisters the left, leaving the opposite 
side of the table vacant. On taking our positions 
the sounds were heard, and continued to multiply 
and become more violent until every part of the 
room trembled with their demonstrations. They 
were unlike any I had heard before. Suddenly, 
as we were all resting on the table, I felt the side 
next to me move upward. I pressed upon it heav- 
ily, but soon it passed out of the reach of us all, 
full six feet from me, and at least four from the 
nearest person to it. I saw distinctly its position ; 
not a thread could have connected it with any of 
the company without my notice, for I had come to 
detect imposition, if it could be found. In this 
position we were situated, when the question was 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 41 

asked, * Will the spirit move the table back where 
it was before?' — and back it came, as though it 
were carried on the head of some one, who had 
not suited his position to a perfect equipoise, the 
balance being sometimes in favor of one side and 
then the other. But it regained its first position. 
In the meantime the ' demonstrations' grew louder 
and louder. The family commenced and sung the 
4 Spirit's song,' and several other pieces of sacred 
music, during which, accurate time was marked 
on the table, causing it to vibrate ; a transparent 
hand, resembling a shadow, presented itself before 
my face ; I felt fingers taking hold of a lock of my 
hair on the left side of my head, causing an incli- 
nation of several inches ; then a cold, death-like 
hand was drawn designedly over my face ; thre^ 
gentle raps on my left knee ; my right limb forci- 
bly pulled up, against strong resistance, under the 
table ; a violent shaking, as though two hands 
were applied to my shoulders ; myself and chair 
uplifted and moved back a few inches ; and sever- 
al slaps, as with a hand, on the side of my head, 
which were repeated on each one of the company, 
more rapidly than I could count. During these 
manifestations, a piece of pasteboard, nearly a foot 
square, was swung with such velocity before us as 
to throw a strong current of air in our faces : a 
paper curtain attached to one of the windows was 
rolled up and unrolled twice ; a lounge, immedi- 
ately behind me, was shaken violently ; two small 



42 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

drawers in a bureau played back and forth with 
inconceivable rapidity ; a sound resembling a man 
sawing boards, and planing them, was heard under 
the table ; a common spinning-wheel seemed to be 
in motion, making a very natural buzz of the 
spindle ; a reel articulated each knot wound upon 
it ; while the sound of a rocking cradle indicated 
maternal care for the infant's slumbers. These 
were among many other demonstrations which I 
witnessed that evening, amid which I felt a perfect 
self-possession, and in no instance the slightest 
embarrassment, except a momentary chill when 
the cold hand was applied to my face, similar to a 
sensation I have realized when touching a dead 
body. That any of the company could have per- 
formed these things, under the circumstances in 
which we were situated, would require a greater 
stretch of credulity on my part than it would be to 
believe it was the work of spirits. It could not, 
by any possibility, have been done by them, nor 
even attempted, without detection. And I may 
add., that, near the close of the demonstrations at 
this visit, there was a vibration of the floor, as 
though several tons in weight had been uplifted, 
and suddenly fallen again upon it. This caused 
everything in the room to shake most violently for 
several minutes, when the force was withdrawn. 

" I have also tested the intelligence of these 
spirits in every way my ingenuity could invent. 
On one occasion, I wrote a word on a slip of pa- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 43 

per privately, placed it in my wallet, went there, 
and the sounds, through the alphabet, spelled that 
word correctly as I had written it. That word 
was ' Sybil.' 

" On the 29th of February, inst., the two 
youngest sisters made my family a visit. Here 
the sounds were heard — questions involving sub- 
jects wholly unknown to them were answered — a 
large, heavy dining-table w r as moved several times 
— and, on expressing thanks at the table to the 
Giver of all Good, some six or eight sounds 
responded to every sentence I uttered, by making 
loud and distinct sounds in various parts of the 
room. Yours, truly, 

"C. Hammond. 

"Rochester, Feb. 22, 1859." 

COMMENTS. 

What is to be done with all these cases, and a 
thousand other similar ones ? Are they to be de- 
nounced as sheer fictions, fabricated to impose on 
the lovers of the marvelous ? No ; they are too 
well authenticated as reliable statements of what 
at least appeared to be facts. Are they to be 
scouted as the ingenious deceptions of jugglery, 
legerdemain, or some other arch operations of 
mortal cunning? No; there is not the slightest 
evidence of such agencies in their production. 
Are they only remarkable instances of intelligent 
happenings, exaggerated by over-active imagina- 



44 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

tions, and embellished by romantic narrators? 
No ; such is obviously not their character. Make 
as large a discount for accidental coincidences, 
excited imaginations, and descriptive coloring as 
candor will warrant, still the important facts and 
realities which remain have overwhelming weight. 
Unless these demonstrations can be rationally ac- 
counted for in some other way, which has not yet 
been done, I feel obliged to accept them for what 
they purport to be — the veritable manifestations of 
departed spirits. 

In the next chapter I shall present a few cases 
which have come within my own sphere of per- 
sonal knowledge and information; and also make 
a statement of the principal points of doctrine set 
forth in the communications of spirits. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 45 



CHAPTER IV. 

Cases of Class First concluded — What I myself 
have witnessed — Effect on my own feelings and 
state of mind — Doctrine declared by Spirits, 
stated under seven heads. 

In this chapter I shall conclude what I have to say 
under my first general head, by referring to a few 
particulars connected with cases within my per- 
sonal knowledge, and then stating the principal 
points of doctrine taught by the spirits. 

I will not go into minute narration and descrip- 
tion, but simply mention the more important phe- 
nomena I have witnessed. I have heard multiform 
sounds in the presence of spirit Media, purporting 
to be made by departed spirits; some like the 
tickings of a small watch, others like the clicking 
of a common clock, others like the loud knocking 
of a laboring man on the door of his neighbor 
with his knuckles, others like the scratching of a 
hard finger nail on a board, others like the creak- 
ing of a door or window, &,c.,&,c. 1 have heard 
the time and meter of tunes beaten out with the ut- 
most accuracy, and by several rappers in unison — 
not only while the tune was being played or sung, 
but afterwards, without accompaniment. And I 
am as certain that these sounds were not made by 



46 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

any conscious mortal agency, as I am of the best 
authenticated facts in the common transactions of 
life. 

I have seen tables and lightstands of various 
size moved about in the most astonishing manner, 
by what purported to be the same invisible agency, 
with only the gentle and passive resting of the 
hands or finger-ends of the Medium on one of 
their edges. Also, many distinct movings of such 
objects, by request, without the touch of the Me- 
dium at all. I have sat and conversed by the hour 
together with the authors of these sounds and mo- 
tions, by means of signals first agreed on ; asking 
questions and obtaining answers — receiving com- 
munications spelled out by the alphabet— discus- 
sing propositions sometimes made by them to me, 
and vice versa — all by a slow process, indeed, but 
with every possible demonstration of intelligence, 
though not without incidental misapprehensions 
and mistakes. I have witnessed the asking of 
mental questions by inquirers, who received as 
prompt and correct answers as when the questions 
were asked audibly to the cognition of the Me- 
dium. 

I have known these invisibles, by request, to 
write their names with a common plumbago pen- 
cil on a clean sheet of paper — half a dozen of 
them, each in a different hand. To make sure of 
this, as an absolute fact, the Medium was required 
to lay her left hand, back downwards, in the hoi- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 47 

low of a veracious person's hand, both open ; when 
a piece of pasteboard paper was J aid on her hand, 
a well-examined blank sheet of writing paper 
placed thereon, and a lead pencil on top of that; 
in which position (the Medium's right hand being 
held up to view,) both the hands, with these fix- 
tures resting on them, were placed under the leaf 
of the table, as insisted on by the writers. After 
a minute or two, at a given signal by the spirits 
that they had done, the paper was exhibited with 
various names written thereon, as above affirmed. 
This was repeatedly tested with the same results, 
under circumstances patting all suspicion of fraud 
and jugglery entirely at rest. 

I have requested what purported to be the spirit 
of a friend many years deceased, to go to a partic- 
ular place, several miles distant from that of the 
sitting, and to bring me back intelligence respect- 
ing the then health and doings of a certain rela- 
tive well-known to the parties. Tn three minutes 
of time the intelligence was obtained, numerous 
particulars given, some of them rather improbable, 
but every one exactly confirmed the next day, by 
personal inquiries made for that purpose. 

I have been requested by the invisibles to speak 
on a particular subject, at a given time and place, 
with the assurance that responses should be made 
on the occasion, by knockings, approving the truths 
uttered; all which was strikingly verified. Once, 
-at a most unexpected interview, when nothing of 



48 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

the kind had been previously thought of by any per- 
son present, a spirit, so purporting, who had sev- 
eral times evinced much interest in my public 
labors, spelled out: — " Have you selected your 
subjects of discourse for the next Sunday ?" Only 
one of them, I answered. Would my spirit friend 
like to suggest a text for the other part of the day ? 
" Yes." What is it? I inquired. He spelled out 
the word " The," and ceased. Wondering at his 
silence, the signal of another spirit was given. 
The new comer communicated by movings of the 
table, not by raps, like the other. He said that our 
friend, the rapper, had been suddenly summoned 
away for a few moments, but would certainly re- 
turn soon. He did return within fifteen minutes, 
resumed his communication just where he left it, 
and spelled out — " The second chapter of first 
Corinthians, the twelfth and thirteenth verses" 
No one in the room had the least recollection of 
the words referred to. So the Bible was called for, 
when the text proved to be the following : — " Now 
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but 
the spirit which is of God ; that we might Icnoic the 
things that are freely given to us of God. Which 
things we also speak, not in the words which man's 
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teach- 
eth ; comparing spiritual things with spiritual" 
Struck with the sublimity, purity, richness, and 
force of the passage, I answered that I accepted it 
thankfully, as a very appropriate text for the oc» 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 49 

casion referred to, and would endeavor to illustrate 
its great truths as well as I might be able. My 
spirit friend expressed great pleasure by sounds 
rapidly made on the table, and announced that he 
arid several other sympathizing spirits should be 
present to hear the discourse, and if the Medium 
should also be there, would manifest their appro- 
bation of the good things uttered. All this was 
verified in a remarkable manner. 

I have seen a Medium srentlv magnetized and 
thrown into a trance in one minute, by the imper- 
ceptible influence of the spirits, in accordance 
with their own original proposition, reluctantly 
acceded to by the Medium and her friends ; during 
which sometimes she had visions of the spirit 
world, and at others became entirely non-cognizant 
of everything transpiring in either world. In the 
latter case the spirits, as previously promised, made 
use of her organs of speech, unconsciously to her- 
self, and thus answered numerous questions, in- 
stead of responding by the rappings. That these 
trances were not superinduced by mortal agency, 
and were not feigned but real, I am as certain as 
I can be of anything not absolutely beyond the 
possibility of mistake. 

I might proceed much further in the particular- 
ization of manifestations coming under my per- 
sonal observation, but will not make myself te- 
dious. Suffice it to say, that I have witnessed 
enough with my own eyes and ears to prepare me 

D 



50 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

for the belief of the still more incredible manifes- 
tations reported from a thousand places in our 
country and the world. I will merely add, that I 
have received many excellent communications 
from these invisible friends, and scarcely a single 
one of a light, frivolous, or low character ; though 
I know that in this respect my experience has been 
unlike that of some others. I can. say in truth, 
speaking for myself alone, that my whole moral 
nature has been purified and elevated, by the in- 
fluences which have flowed in upon me during the 
investigation of this subject. Others, I am sure, 
can say the same. There are those, no doubt, 
who have abused the whole thing — befooling them- 
selves and others in a lamentable manner. What 
in the wide world is there that has wholly escaped 
abuse and perversion 1 Reason, inspired and 
crowned with the wisdom from above, is indispen- 
sable to the avoidance of these evils. Until a 
much larger portion of mankind, than at present, 
attain to the development of their higher faculties, 
we must expect the abuse and perversion, to a 
greater or less extent, of everything in nature. 
" But wisdom is justified of all her children." 

DOCTRINE OF THE SPIRITS. 

The theology, piety, and morality inculcated by 
the spirits will now be stated. There are discrep- 
ancies and contradictions on some points, if we 
take the whole range of communications, good, 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 51 

bad, and indifferent. But I shall confine myself 
to what may be considered, on all hands, the most 
reliable testimonies : i. e., to communications pur- 
porting to come from the worthiest spirits, and 
through the most independent Media. It is satis- 
factory to know that ninety-nine one hundredths 
of these testimonies harmonize in every essential 
particular ; and that this is true of spirits who, in 
the life of the flesh, were connected with the most 
hostile sects, whose communications have been 
made through Media educated in these opposing 
sects. Sometimes it has been found, that if the 
Medium was strongly prejudiced, or was overawed 
by associates of that character, the teachings of 
the first few weeks were biased considerably by 
those influences; whereas afterwards, when the 
communications seemed to be made more freely 
and independently of the Medium's mind, these 
peculiarities ceased, and the doctrines attested be- 
came accordant with the general current. This 
current combines, in my opinion, all that is essen- 
tial to Christianity, and all that is valuable in re- 
ligious and moral philosophy, separated from pop- 
ular assumptions, adulterations, perversions, and 
groundless notions. 

1. There is one and but one God, an infinite 
Spirit, and the Father of Spirits. He loves all, 
and eternally seeks their good by all wise and fit- 
ting means. The man Jesus of Nazareth was 
brought into the world with especial fitness to re- 
d2 



52 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

ceive the Spirit of God in perfect purity and ful- 
ness, whereby the Father-Spirit dwelling in him 
constituted him the Christ, the Savior of the world. 
The Holy Ghost, so called, is the God-Spirit, act- 
ing in or upon any finite being, or at any particu- 
lar point, perceptibly to finite natures. So that 
there is but one infinite Divine, variously mani- 
fested, as Father, Son, or Holy Ghost. 

2. All human beings are spirits as to their ab- 
solute internal constitution, and soon after death 
emerge into distinct conscious spiritual identities, 
having bodies, forms and peculiarities as obviously 
cognizable to each other, and as distinguishable 
from each other, as here in the flesh. 

3. All human beings possess certain mental and 
moral qualities, partly constitutional, partly cir- 
cumstantial, and partly self-wrought, which deter- 
mine for the time being each individual's real 
spiritual character, and relative nearness to or dis- 
tance from the divine standard of perfection. So 
that each one is in a certain sphere, and in some 
circle or degree of that sphere, as to his spirit, 
always, whether existing in the fleshly body, or 
after its dissolution. And if a person is spiritual- 
ly in a certain sphere at death, in that sphere he 
finds himself, the moment he resumes his con- 
sciousness in the spirit world, associated with 
kindred spirits. 

4. There are seven spirit spheres, or circles, infe- 
rior to the heavenly or celestial spheres, and each 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 53 

sphere or circle has several degrees. Man is a 
being by nature capable of progress, subject to 
certain fundamental spiritual and moral laws. In 
conformity to these laws he may now progress from 
lower to higher spheres; i. e., he may draw nearer 
and nearer to God ; or what is the same thing, 
nearer as a spirit to the divine standard of perfec- 
tion. But without conformity to these laws, he 
cannot progress, but obscures and debases himself. 
Death does not change man's real character, nor 
his proper spirit sphere, nor his capability to make 
progress, nor the laws of progress. No man is in 
a morally worse state, all things considered, by 
reason of passing into the spirit world. The 
worst even are, if any way affected, in a better 
state there than in the flesh. They whose spirit 
sphere was purer, find themselves proportionally 
blessed. Many remain very long in the lower 
spheres, where, though enabled to enjoy exis- 
tence in the degree possible at such a distance 
from the divine focus of blessedness, they are 
" spirits in prison," and wretched in comparison 
with those in the paradisaical spheres. Their exis- 
tence is a blessing to them even while thus low, 
and there is no such place or state as a hell of 
unmitigated, hopeless misery. Meantime, God, 
angels, and all the higher spirits are forever seek- 
ing the elevation of the inferior spirits, by all just, 
wise, and appropriate means. And no one, how- 
ever low and sluggish of progress, will finally fail 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



to be attracted upward, obediently to the divine 
laws, from one degree to another, and from one 
sphere to another, till he reach the heavenly man- 
sions — even though it take an age of eternities to 
complete his distiny. 

5. Spirits in the higher of the seven speres are 
employed in three general exercises. 1. In relig- 
ious aspirations, meditations, worship — in striving 
after a more perfect knowledge of and communi- 
cation with God — whom they cannot see there any 
more than here, as a personal being, but only in 
spirit by faith and intuition. 2. In study, self- 
examination, contemplations of truth, and ac- 
quainting themselves with all useful knowledge 
attainable by them. 3. In ministering to strug- 
gling spirits on earth and in the lower spheres — 
endeavoring to elevate and bless them. Thus cul- 
tivating love to God, wisdom within themselves, 
and ever active benevolence to their inferiors in 
condition. Spirits in any circle can descend into 
all the circles below their own, but cannot, except 
by special permission, ascend into a higher sphere, 
until qualified by spiritual progress. 

6. Mankind are by nature one family of broth- 
ers and sisters, the offspring of a common Father 
in heaven, whom they ought to love with all their 
heart, and each other as themselves. The good 
of each is really the good of all, and that of all 
the good of each. Therefore, no one can injure 
another without injuring himself in the end, Sla* 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 55 

very, and all kinds of tyranny and oppression are 
utterly sinful. So all war, violence, revenge, and 
vindictive punishment. So all intemperance, de- 
bauchery, and sexual pollution. So all falsehood, 
covetousness, fraud, extortion, and pecuniary tak- 
ing of advantage. So all pride and domineering 
of superiors over inferiors. So all religious big- 
otry, thrusting down, persecution, and sectarian 
bitterness. So everything contrary to personal 
holiness, to the piety which loves God supremely, 
and man as a brother, whether friend or foe. 
These reliable spirits are everywhere Reformers, 
Regenerators of the world, individually and so- 
cially. They are for the reconciliation of all 
things — for universal harmony — on the great prin- 
ciples of truth, purity, justice, love, and wisdom. 
And they all predict a better future for the human 
race here on earth, as well as in the future state. 

7. It is the imperative duty of every human be- 
ing to exercise his own powers, faculties, reason, 
and judgment, with modesty, humility, and firm- 
ness, and not to be overawed, borne down, or led 
away captive by any assuming spirit in or out of 
the flesh. Every one is accountable for himself, 
and ought both to judge and act for himself, with 
supreme reverence for God and his moral perfec- 
tions, according to his own highest convictions of 
truth and duty. Thus he should examine the 
Bible and all books. Thus all human govern- 
ments, authorities, powers, constitutions, laws, 



56 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

customs, and usages, in Church and State. Thus 
try all spirits, and their communications — all pre- 
tended prophets, philosophers, and teachers — all 
professions and assumptions whatsoever. No one 
should imperiously dictate, or cower down before 
another. But truth, rectitude, reason, and the 
suasion of wisdom should alone sway the minds 
of moral agents. 

Such is a fair digest and summary of the prin- 
cipal doctrines put forth in ninety-nine one hun- 
dredths of the communications of reliable spirits 
throughout the country. I have stated them in my 
own language, as I have understood them. It will 
be seen that they differ in some respects from every 
sectarian view of theology, religion, and morality 
now popular in the world. But they embody the 
essentials of Christianity, as understood by its best 
expositors, and of all spiritual and moral philoso- 
phies worthy of serious respect. For my own 
part, I confess that they commend themselves for- 
cibly to my highest conceptions and profoundest 
convictions of what is true and good. Perhaps I 
receive them with greater readiness and partiality, 
because they modify so slightly the general system 
of faith, views, and opinions, which, by long and 
thorough research, my own mind had already 
elaborated. If so, other minds, established in 
contrary conclusions, will as readily revolt at and 
reject them. " Let every man be fully persuaded 
in his own mind." 






SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 57 

In my next chapter I shall enter on an examina- 
tion of cases under Class Second : i. e., " those in 
which some of the important demonstrations were 
probably caused, or very much affected, by wnde- 
parted spirits/' 



58 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



CHAPTER V. 

Cases under Class Second — General Statement of 
Facts — Conclusions drawn — Indiscrimination 
and Extremes, whether of Credulity or Skepti- 
cism, deprecated. 

I am now to treat of cases under Class Second : 
i. e., " those in which some of the important de- 
monstrations were probably caused, or greatly 
affected, by wrcdeparted spirits." I mean, by un- 
departed spirits, persons in the flesh, who, by their 
will or psychological power, control the agency 
which gives forth sounds, motions, &c. I refer 
not to impostors, playing off counterfeits. I am 
treating of phenomena caused by mental power 
alone, coacting with the mysterious agency under 
consideration. 

I have known cases such as the following : — 
1. In which the bias, prejudice, predilection, or 
will of the Medium, evidently governed and char- 
acterized the demonstrations. In these cases, the 
answers given to questions, the doctrines taught, 
and the peculiar leanings of communications 
spelled out, were so obviously fashioned by the 
Medium's own mind, as to leave no doubt of the 
fact. In absolute confirmation of this, questions 
have been written out and presented to the Medi- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 59 

um, with a request that the answers should, if pos- 
sible, be given thus and so. And they were given, 
by raps, accordingly. I myself gave questions in 
this way to a certain Medium, and found that an- 
swers could be obtained in the affirmative or neg- 
ative, or in flat contradiction to previous answers, 
if the Medium would but agree to will it. At the 
same time, I made myself certain that this Me- 
dium could not procure the rapping agency at 
will. It came, staid, and went as it would ; and 
in that respect was uncontrollable. But when it 
chanced to be present, it could be overruled, bias- 
ed, and perverted, more or less, by the Medium. 

2. In other cases, there has been an overruling 
psychological influence exerted by some powerful 
mind or minds present in the room with the Me- 
dium. In such cases, this powerful influence, with 
or without the consciousness of the Medium, has 
elicited answers, just such as had been wished or 
willed by the managing mind. And these answers 
have alternately contradicted each other in the 
plainest manner, during the same half hour's 
demonstrations. In one instance, a strong-willed 
man resolved to reverse certain disagreeable pre- 
dictions, frequently repeated through two tipping 
Media who often sat in conjunction. The result 
was, he could overrule one of them, sitting alone, 
and get a response to suit himself. But both 
of them together over-matched his psychological 
powers. I might give names, places, dates, and 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



details in this connection ; but it is unnecessary. 
There can be no reasonable doubt of the facts 
just stated. It may be set down as certain, that 
there are cases wherein some of the important 
demonstrations are caused, or greatly affected, by 
tt/zdeparted spirits. How far influences of this 
sort extend and characterize spirit manifestations, 
remains to be ascertained. We can positively 
identify them in many cases. In some they are 
known to the parties concerned, and acknowledged 
to have been consciously and intentionally exerted. 
In others they may be justly suspected, where no 
consciousness of them is felt by the Medium, or 
by any dominant mind. What, then, is to be 
concluded with reference to cases under Class 
Second ? 

1. I conclude, for myself, that implicit confi- 
dence cannot be placed in so-called spirit re- 
sponses and communications, as always certainly 
coming from departed spirits. The Medium, or 
some powerful mind or minds present, may over- 
rule, warp, twist, or color the answers and sen- 
tences spelled out. Nothing is to be taken for 
granted without examination, and reasonable cor- 
roboration. To surrender one's self up credu- 
lously to the rappings, tippings, or hand-moving s> 
as oracular and infallible, would be little better 
than stultification. 

2. I conclude, for myself, that there are limits 
to these influences of wndeparted spirits. I am 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 61 

certain that the cases treated of in the four pre- 
ceding chapters of this exposition are justly distin- 
guishable from the class now under consideration. 
I am confident, too, that in this Second Class 
there is in all cases, even the worst, a limit to the 
power exertable by spirits in the flesh ; and that 
there is a mysterious agency from the spirit world 
which cannot be completely overruled. Neverthe- 
less, it is so often and so far controlled, as to be 
decidedly unreliable. 

There is obviously a great difference in Media. 
That element in or about them, which constitutes 
them Media, and which, for want of a better name, 
I have called " Spiricity," probably differs in 
quality and degree of strength in various individ- 
uals. Hence, as well as from deeper causes, the 
great difference and variety of the phenomena. 
I have found that some Media were so imperfect, 
or had been so sophisticated by the management 
of overruling minds, that scarcely any reliance 
could be placed on what purported to come 
through their Mediumship. Others, especially 
tipping and hand-moved Media, are frequently so 
nervous, doubtfully balanced, and peculiarly affect- 
ed, that one knows not what to depend on. But 
it remains true, that there are clear, passive, inde- 
pendent Media, worthy of all the reliance that 
ought ever to be placed in persons sustaining such 
a relation to the spirit world. 

It is a remarkable fact, that some Media, who, 



62 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

during the first few days or weeks of their Medi- 
umship, knew themselves to have considerable 
power over the manifestations, have gradually be- 
come clear and passive ; and found themselves, 
at last, utterly unable to affect the responses and 
communications made through them. I have in 
my mind a worthy friend, of unquestionable vera- 
city, who stated to me that this was the case with 
him. For several weeks after he found himself a 
Medium, he could get very much such answers to 
questions as he pleased. During that stage of his 
Mediumship he felt quite confident the whole thing 
was but a new species of Mesmerism. But after 
a while he began to fail of controlling the agency, 
and at length found it operating entirely independ- 
ent of his most determined wishings and icillings. 
In another case, a young Medium, of a certain 
religious sect, seemed at first to be attended by 
spirits altogether partial to the peculiarities of that 
sect, who taught doctrines plainly cantradictory to 
what my be called Spirit orthodoxy, as given forth 
everywhere through the most reliable Media. 
This Medium received all due encouragement 
from her sectarian friends, during the infancy of 
her Mediumship. But when, after a few weeks, 
neither she nor they could any longer make the 
spirits utter their shibboleth through her, and found 
an independent testimony coming forth against 
their cherished dogmas, she was required to re- 
nounce her sittings, and abandon the whole thing, 






SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 63 

as of the Devil. These cases show that there is 
a limit to the influence of wndeparted spirits, even 
where for a time they possess control. It also 
shows that Media, who in their crude, incipient 
state give forth communications in accordance 
with their own prejudices, wishes, or wills, and 
very contrary ones to those generally received, 
may outgrow their defects, and themselves become 
reliable. 

3. Finally, I conclude, for myself, that consid- 
erable information, discrimination, and judgment 
should be brought into requisition on this subject, 
in order to do it justice. Some examine a single 
case or two, and jump at an opinion. One believes 
everything, making almost a fool of himself at 
that extreme. Another will believe nothing, and 
so makes a still greater fool of himself than the 
man whose credulity he sneers at. Some take for 
granted that if any thing about it is real or relia- 
ble, the whole must be. Others, that it any thing 
is unreal, false, or unreliable, nothing about it can 
be otherwise. An obstinate, self-conceited skep- 
tic goes against his will to witness manifestations, 
perhaps of the lowest and most awkward kind. 
He is forced to admit, in spite of himself, that 
there is something unaccountable ; but as he finds 
several uncouth or extraordinary demonstrations, 
he goes off satisfied that it is only a freak of Mes- 
merism, or nervous eccentricity. Some can make 
capital enough out of one poor case to set up phi- 



64 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

losophizing in the public prints for the settlement 
of the whole question. On the other hand, there 
are those whose faith is extravagant. They regard 
the thing as an entire new revelation from heaven, 
which renders the Bible, and even New Testa- 
ment Christianity, as obsolete as a superannuated 
almanac. Some are ready to be directed by the 
rapjnngs, tippings, or hand-moving s in all the 
affairs of life, consulting their oracles, or guardian 
spirits, several times a day, as to what they must 
do next. I can give no countenance or assent to 
such extremes, one way or the other. I must be- 
lieve what is believable, and set down the rest at 
its worth. I cannot be the slave of skepticism, 
nor of credulity. I must still follow the apostolic 
axiom, " Prove all things, and hold fast that which 
is good.' 5 

In my next chapter I shall take up cases under 
Class Third. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 65 



CHAPTER VI. 

Cases under Class Third — General Statement of 
Facts — Explanation — Partial and Imperfect 
Media — Low Spirits — Summary of the Expo- 
sition this far. 

Cases under Class Third are now to be consid- 
ered : i.e., those in which the demonstrations 
were of a heterogeneous, incongruous, and derog- 
atory character. Many cases of this class have 
taken place in various parts of the country, some 
of which have been published to the world. I 
might cite the more striking ones on record, and 
go into a minute examination of their details. 
But this is hardly necessary to my present purpose. 
I shall content myself, therefore, with making a 
general statement of the principal facts, and offer- 
ing my views thereon. 

Responses have been made, purporting to come 
from the spirits of persons deceased, — giving their 
names, relationship to the living, and various com- 
munications, — but afterwards it turned out that 
the persons represented as dead were alive in 
the flesh ! In other cases, responses have pur- 
ported to come from the spirits of individuals 
known to be deceased, giving contradictory, false, 
and absurd statements respecting persons, transac- 



W SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

tions, and events. In others, representing the 
respondent to be the spirit of some particular in- 
dividual, perhaps of some distinguished character, 
but making statements and communications so 
obviously false and incongruous as to destroy all 
credibility, and finally confessing ignorance, de- 
ception, or waggishness. In others, the spirit pre- 
tended to have been in communication with some 
friend or friends holding sittings in a distant place, 
and to have been charged with certain messages 
from those friends ; when, as it afterwards turned 
out on inquiry, no such sittings were held, and no 
such messages sent. In others, low, uncouth, pro- 
fane, obscene, and vulgar sentences or words were 
spelled out. In others, where the spirit of some 
very low character, notorious criminal, or brute 
animal had been called for, there would be a 
response personating the characters evoked — 
whether man or beast. In fine, specimens of al- 
most everything incoherent, contradictory, deceit- 
ful and absurd have come from what purported to 
be spirits, in this class of manifestations. I have 
personally witnessed very few such, but there is 
no doubt whatever of the facts. How then are 
they to be accounted for 1 

It is extremely difficult to answer this inquiry 
satisfactorily, even to the most intelligent and can- 
did — saying nothing of the prejudiced and cap- 
tious. The following explanation, better than any 
other, satisfies my own mind : — 1. Many Media 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 67 

are partial and imperfect. The grade of their 
Spiricity is comparatively low, or it is small in 
quantity, and feeble in strength. In some, the in- 
tellect and moral stamina are inferior. It is through 
Media of this general description that most of 
heterogeneous, false, and contradictory manifesta- 
tions come. What passes through such Media 
must be greatly liable to the influences of wrcde- 
parted spirits. Their own prejudices, will, imagi- 
nation, low ideas, perverse sentiments, and pecu- 
liar absurdities of interior conception, must bias 
and characterize the communications, which any 
spirit should attempt to make through them. Mes- 
meric and psychological influences, from controlling 
minds near them, would be likely to have the same 
effect. Hence the communications, even of a de- 
cent and well-meaning departed spirit, might come 
out in a very awkward translation — something 
quite unlike what was intended. It would be like 
the message of a Frenchman to an Englishman, 
rendered through an ignorant Dutchman, who had 
only a smattering of French and English. The 
Englishman might be puzzled to make anything 
decent of it. In such cases we can never be sure 
that the communication received is precisely the 
one intended. This may explain some apparent 
absurdities and contradictions, otherwise unac- 
countable. 

2. It seems reasonable to believe that the lower 
spheres or circles of the spirit-world are filled with 
e2 



68 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

gross and crudely developed human spirits — with 
almost countless multitudes of souls, whose igno- 
rance, or moral deficiency, or positive perverseness, 
still remain such, in spite of the general tenden- 
cies favorable to progress, as predispose them to 
sympathize with congenial spirits in the flesh, and 
to repeat, when opportunity will allow, their old 
follies, deceits, and mischievous exploits. The 
ruling love and distinguishing peculiarities, rooted 
in the very elements of their spiritual constitution, 
have not yet undergone a sufficient moral change 
to render them new creatures. They are still 
much nearer like what they were in the flesh, than 
like what they must be to enjoy heaven. Their 
delights are not yet those of the pure and good. 
How can it be otherwise — even though it be true 
that God, Christ, angels, and all heavenly minded 
spirits constantly seek their elevation to higher 
spheres by every wise means ? Is it morally pos- 
sible that those who leave this state of existence, 
indisposed to almost everything dictated by divine 
love and wisdom, should at death become suddenly 
devoted to that very love and wisdom ? I have 
never seen the semblance of a sound reason for 
believing in any such leaps of the human soul 
from very low to very high spheres, whether moral 
or intellectual. Yet many people seem to imagine 
that if departed spirits know any thing, they must 
be omniscient ; and if it is the will of the univer- 
sal Father to have all men saved and come to the 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 69 

knowledge of the truth, that all must certainly 
reach their destiny at the moment their future ex- 
istence commences. All such notions are contra- 
ry to the laws and processes of the divine order. 
Therefore they are unreasonable, and ought to 
give place to juster views. Look at the intellec- 
tual, and, above all, the moral condition, in which 
multitudes, even in the most favored parts of 
Christendom, pass out ot this life. . If such spirits 
should manifest themselves at all through mortal 
Media, especially through partial and very imper- 
fect ones, which of all these heterogeneous, un- 
couth, deceitful, and absurd demonstrations would 
be beneath them? "But," say objectors, " such 
manifestations cannot come from departed spirits." 
Why not ? " Because they are so low, false, and 
contradictory." This is only begging the ques- 
tion. It is assuming either that there are no de- 
parted spirits low enough to make such exhibitions ; 
or else, if there are, God would certainly not allow 
them to manifest themselves to men in the flesh. 
But who has a right to assume that there are no 
such spirits? Let that man give us his reasons. 
And as to God's permitting low departed spirits to 
make these manifestations, if He cannot do it, 
how happens »He to permit wwdeparted spirits to 
make them ? They are actually made. They are 
made by human spirits, either departed or unde- 
parted. If by zmdeparted ones, He certainly per- 
mits them. Why should He not permit departed 



70 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

ones to make them ? I repeat, all such assump- 
tions beg the question. For aught that appears to 
the contrary, imperfect, low, and gross departed 
spirits are quite as likely, in the nature of things, 
to make these bad demonstrations, as similar low 
spirits in the Jlesh are to make just as bad and 
even worse ones. It seems to me I have good 
ground for believing that many of these deroga- 
tory manifestations have proceeded from departed 
spirits belonging to the lower spheres or circles of 
the spirit world. 

Here, then, are two adequate causes for all hete- 
rogeneous, contradictory, deceptive, vulgar, and 
derogatory demonstrations, viz : 1. Imperfect and 
partial Media, often influenced by their own wills, 
prejudices, imaginations, &/C., or by controlling 
minds arourfd them ; and 2. The direct agency of 
low departed spirits. One or the other, or both 
of these causes together, will account for every 
case included in my third class. And in view of 
all the facts, phenomena, and difficulties of the 
subject, I confess I see no other explanation half 
so warrantable. Whoever can find a more satis- 
factory one, let him present it. Or if any deem 
it still wiser not to attempt accounting for these 
manifestations at all, let them accompany their 
caution with an equal amount of candor, and 
refrain from caviling till they are prepared to rea- 
son on the subject. 

I close this chapter with a summary of my ex- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. * 1 

position thus far. I have presented my theory, 
examined the different classes of cases, and de- 
duced my conclusions under each head. I have 
demonstrated, at least to my own satisfaction, that 
in the Jirst class of cases the manifestations were 
made by reliable departed spirits ; that in the second 
class they were partly made, or greatly modified 
by wndeparted spirits ; and that in the third class, 
all which is derogatory , was caused partly by un- 
departed spirits, i. e., the partial Media and their 
psychologizers, and partly by low departed spirits 
consociated with kindred spirits in the flesh. I 
have given a statement of the essential doctrines 
affirmed by reliable spirits. I have testified against 
receiving as oracular per se, the questionable and 
uncorroborated communications purporting to 
come from departed spirits ; and also against re- 
jecting the amply corroborated ones, merely be- 
cause there are others unworthy of our confidence. 
I have given due warning against all extravagant 
credulity, skepticism, and unreasonableness on the 
subject. I have contended that the pure Chris- 
tianity of the New Testament is confirmed, not 
invalidated nor superseded, by these spirit mani- 
festations. And I have insisted, concurrently with 
all the reliable spirits, that every one should exam- 
ine, consider, reason, and judge for him or herself, 
on this and all other themes, making a faithful use 
of the highest light possessed. 

Next I shall take up and answer objections. 



72 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



CHAPTER VII. 

General Objections as distinguished from 'particu- 
lar — Obj. 1. It is incredible, per se, a hum- 
bug — Obj. 2. Against Mediumship — Obj. 3. 
Against such exceptionable Media — Obj. 4. 
The Manifestations are uncouth and vulgar — 
Obj. 5. They are the effects of Electricity, fyc. 
— Obj. 6. They are the effects of Mesmerism, 
$fc. — Obj. 7. The communications are lying 
and contradictory — Obj. 8. They are of no im- 
portance — Obj. 9. They cause disease, infatua- 
tion, and insanity — Obj. 10. They are anti- 
Bible, infidel, heretical, c\c. — Obj. 11. It is 
all of the Devil. 

There are numerous popular objections to the 
belief, or idea, that any of these mysterious mani- 
festations are made by departed spirits. These I 
call general objections, to distinguish them from 
those which may be urged against my particular 
Position, Theory, and Views of the subject. I 
propose first to state and answer the more promi- 
nent of these general objections. 

Obj. 1. — The whole thing is incredible per se. 
It is utterly improbable in the nature of things. 
It is an imposition on human credulity — a trick 
of jugglery or legerdemain, got up to befool the 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



73 



lovers of the marvelous — a despicable humbug , 
totally unworthy the serious attention of intelli- 
gent minds. Let it run its course and die out 
People who have sense enough to respect them- 
selves will never dabble in it. They will treat it 
with dignified contempt. 

Ans. — Thousands of highly respectable men 
and women, including probably a large majority 
of the educated, professional, and influential in 
society, will accept this objection as truly their 
own. Knowing all that I do of men and things, 
I wonder not at their conduct. It is just what 
should have been expected. Skepticism, scorn, 
and contempt are the spontaneous vegetation of 
mind in its immature stages of development. In 
this respect, the educated and influential classes 
exhibit little superiority to the illiterate and lower 
classes. They make up in self-conceit, pride, 
prejudice, and subserviency to artificial prescrip- 
tion, for all the real knowledge, intelligence, and 
refinement they have acquired. Most of them 
will bear the same comparison with the ordinarily 
ignorant, that a smart youth of sixteen does with 
a green boy of seven, eight, or ten. They know 
a great deal more, but are less teachable, by rea- 
son of their increased self-sufficiency. What 
passes for learning, intelligence, and refinement 
in the world, however excellent in comparison 
with lower developments, is extremely superficial 
and chaffy, when viewed in the light of heavenly 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



wisdom. I say this, not to disparage learning, nor 
to encourage ignorance, but to admonish the bet- 
ter cultivated against despising new and higher 
knowledges. Let history teach us modesty and 
candor. When did an extraordinary genius ever 
arise among men, in any department of life, with- 
out encountering the unbelief, prejudice, contempt 
and hostility of the world's wise, influential, and 
honored men ? When was any wonderful or 
very important truth discovered and proclaimed, 
without meeting this same kind of opposition ? 
When was any great revelation made from heaven, 
or any reformation among men attempted, without 
having to pass through this baptism of skepticism, 
scorn, and reproach ? Never, since the foundation 
of the world. Whoever arose, or whatever was 
announced extraordinary to the times and to pop- 
ular knowledge, has always been met by the bra- 
zen outcry, or muttered denunciation, BP pre- 
tender ! impostor ! deceiver ! blasphemer ! disturb- 
er ! visionary ! fool ! — it is incredible, impossible, 
utterly false, and foolish ! it is an imposture, a 
a trick, a delusion, a humbug! away with it! 
Read of Moses, Jesus, and all the great and good 
of sacred history. Read of Galileo, Columbus, 
Harvey, Fulton, and all the now honored discov- 
eries on record. Mark how the great, the pious, 
and the reputed wise of the earth, as well as the 
ignorant multitude, disbelieved, sneered, despised, 
and resisted. Yet real merit triumphed, and 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



75 



truth prevailed. Many of the learned made them- 
selves supremely ridiculous, but they could not 
make what they opposed really contemptible. Who 
will profit by the beacon light of their pride, scorn, 
and folly ? Not they who persist in ignoring, or 
sneering at these Spirit Manifestations, as incred- 
ible per se, as a despicable humbug, unworthy of 
even a decent investigation. There is a reality 
in them — a reality too wonderful and important to 
pass unheeded or to be thrust aside. I know what 
I say and whereof I affirm in this matter. Thou- 
sands of intelligent and honest minds, as incapable 
of deceiving or being deceived, as any that walk the 
earth, knoiv the same. And the testimony of all 
these witnesses will stand. Coming developments 
in a thousand new locations will establish the facts 
attested beyond dispute. Therefore, if any one 
will be wise, let him investigate. " But if any 
man will be ignorant, let him be ignorant." The 
Negro Chieftain of Central Africa, when told by 
the Traveller, that in the North water sometimes 
became hard like stone, knew the tale to be a lie — 
a humbug ; because he, most omniscient soul, had 
never seen ice ! Nevertheless, ice was a reality. 
And so are these Manifestations. 

Obj. 2. — If departed spirits actually attempt to 
communicate wiih mortals, why not do so directly 
and unequivocally, without this display of Medium- 
ship ? We dislike the intervention of Media. We 
suspect collusion and deception. 



76 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

Ans. — Dislike what you must, and suspect what 
you please ; but the whole universe is one vast 
complication of mediumship. Spirit works within 
and upon matter. Interior substances demonstrate 
themselves through exterior and grosser ones. 
The higher and lower throughout nature are 
linked together by intervening grades. Why does 
not God appear personally, to speak and act ? 
Why does He make use of all sorts of Media to 
manifest himself — to reveal his perfections — to 
communicate a knowledge of truth and duty to 
mankind ? Why must there be patriarchs, proph- 
ets, saviors, and apostles? Why must man be 
born of woman, children be subsisted and trained 
by parents, pupils have a teacher and books, or 
electricity a conductor ? Why is not each indivi- 
dual creature endowed with all the susceptibilities 
and powers necessary to Deific independence ? 
These things are as they are. Shall we wrangle 
with facts, with nature, with God ? 

" Heaven, forming each on other to depend, 
A master, or a servant, or a friend, 
Bids each on other for assistance call, 
Till one man's weakness grows the strength of all." 

Spirit Media do not create themselves. They 
do not constitute themselves Media. They only 
discover themselves to be such, and act according 
to their grade of mental and moral development. 
The mystery of their mediumship is as great to 
them as to others. Gladly would I see and con- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 77 

verse with spirits personally face to face, if such 
were the order of nature, or the Divine Will. 
But as it is, and until more direct communication 
be granted, I deem it my privilege, no less than 
my duty, to make the best of opportunities as they 
are. I advise the objector to do the same. 

Obj. 3. — If there must be Spirit Media at all, 
why not have perfect ones — respectable, intelli- 
gent, highly refined, pious, and unexceptionable 
Media? There are so many low, uneducated, and 
irreligious ones, that the whole thing is rendered 
distasteful and odious to the learned and the re- 
ligious. 

Ans. — Whose prerogative is it to regulate this 
matter of Mediumship ? It is not mine. All the 
believers in Spirit Manifestions together cannot 
govern the thing. The Media themselves are not 
suck by their own constituting. Their being sus- 
ceptible of sufficient spiricity in or about their 
systems, to facilitate the manifestation of spirits, 
is a physical peculiarity — not an intellectual, a 
moral, or a religious qualification. Their degree 
of intelligence and spiritual purity may attract 
congenial spirits, and repel uncongenial ones ; but. 
that essential something which constitutes them 
Spirit Media is probably a mere physical cause, 
or a concurrence of such causes. What, then ? 
Shall we blame the spirits for not always choosing 
the best Media, through whom to make their Man- 
ifestations 1 Where are they to find your unexcep- 



78 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

tionable Media, ready formed and disciplined ? 
Can they have their choice 1 If they could, would 
they choose the objector's favorites? And if they 
should, would the objector be satisfied ? We have 
some very excellent Media already. We shall 
have still better in process of time and discipline. 
Why not make the best of those we have, in pa- 
tient hope of the better ones expected? Or will 
the objector arraign God, and demand why He 
makes use of weak, foolish, and base things, to 
confound the mighty, the wise, and exalted of this 
world ? Why he took a slave child from the bull- 
rushes of the Nile, and made a Moses of him ? Why 
he made David, the shepherd-boy, King of Israel? 
Why he made Jesus, the despised Nazarene, born 
in a manger and bred a carpenter, to be the Mes- 
siah — the Christ of mankind ? Why He often hides 
the most glorious things from the wise and prudent, 
and reveals them unto mere babes in knowledge ? 
There is no end to such questions. The answer 
to them all is, — " Even so, Father, for so seemed 
it good in thy sight." 

Obj. 4. — These so called Spirit Manifestations 
are all, or nearly all, characteristically uncouth 
and vulgar. Rappings, tippings, table-movings, 
&,c, &,c, &,c, are absolutely too low and undig- 
nified to be ascribed to departed spirits. We can- 
not endure the thought that our deceased friends 
should resort to such ridiculous means of mani- 
festing themselves to mortals. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 79 

Ans. — Paul has truly said, " There is nothing 
unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth any 
thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean." Again : 
" Unto the pure all things are pure; but unto them 
that are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure." 
When Peter in his vision saw the sheet let down 
from heaven full of all kinds of beasts and creep- 
ing things, be protested against the command to 
eat of such " common and unclean things." But 
the reply was, " What God hath cleansed, that call 
not thou common or unclean." Will the objector 
try to profit by these suggestions? Why all this 
disgust at the lowness, uncouthness, and vulgarity 
of the Manifestations 1 Is not all nature full of 
such undignified demonstrations ? Look at man's 
generation, birth, nutrition, excrementation, medi- 
cation, and dissolution. Will the objector call 
these low, uncouth, or vulgar ? If so, let him 
begin his quarrels farther back. If he calls all 
these high, refined, and dignified demonstrations, 
let him not sicken at the idea of such undignified 
Spirit Manifestations. Besides, let him be re- 
minded that few mortals are yet free enough from 
low and undignified conduct themselves, to justify 
this spiritual fastidiousness. I have been present 
at many sittings for the Manifestations, and seen 
some rather low and queer proceedings on the part 
of the spectators, especially of skeptics ; but never 
have I seen anything purporting to come from the 
spirit-world quite so uncouth, as the grins, quirks, 



80 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

and gibes of their mortal inquisitors. Does the 
objector assume that men in the flesh, take them 
as they are, in public and private, have a right to 
exact manifestations from spirits more refined and 
dignified than the ones in question ? If so, he and 
I differ radically respecting the merits of mortals. 
I assert that they have no right whatever to com- 
plain on that score. Does he assume that all 
departed spirits must, of necessity, be too pure, 
elevated, and glorious, ever to manifest themselves 
by the methods to which he takes exceptions? 
Why does he assume any such thing ? Does he 
imagine that merely passing through death elevates 
the human spirit to deification ! Some seem to 
cherish these extravagant notions, not only without 
proof, but contrary to all reason. Such need the 
very demonstrations complained of to disabuse 
them of their groundless imaginations. Let us 
learn all we can from the Manifestations now 
given us. In due time we shall witness higher 
ones. All great results must have their prepara- 
tions, however seemingly crude and undignified. 
Why find fault with Nature ? 

Obj. 5. — The Manifestations are caused by 
Electricity, Magnetism, or something of the kind 
— never by departed spirits. 

Ans. — Does the objector mean that electricity, 
magnetism, or something of the kind, originates 
these Manifestations, with all their indicated intel- 
ligence ? Or only that some imponderable ele- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. Si 

ment is used in elaborating them ? If the latter, 
his objection amounts to nothing. If the former, 
does he know it to be a fact? Does he seriously 
believe it to be a fact? Has he one particle of 
proof that it is a fact? Has he a single analogy 
in universal nature that favors such an assump- 
tion? Can Electricity, Magnetism, or anything 
of the kind,' personate a thinking being, generate 
rationality, and play the part of a sentimental 
moral agent? The idea is utterly preposterous. 
When Morse's or Bain's Electric Telegraphs shall 
be seen spinning off communications without an 
originating intelligence higher than their own, it 
will be time to credit our objector's assumption. 
Till then, he might as well assert that the steam 
engine on a railroad was its own engineer and 
conductor. And when all this shall have been 
demonstrated, it will be time for those who believe 
in legal prosecutions to get Electricity, Magnet- 
ism, or whoever this new moral agent shall turn 
out to be, indicted as a common liar and impostor ; 
since it is notorious that he never takes his own 
real name, nor avows his actuality, but is always 
pretending to be some one that he is not. For 
my part, I fully exonerate beforehand all imponder- 
able matter in the universe from such implications 
of total depravity. 

Obj. 6. — These so called Spirit Manifestations, 
when real, are nothing but the effects of Mesmer- 
ism, Clairvoyance, or some kind of Psychological 



8*2 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

influence. They all originate either in the minds 
of the Media, or in those of other mortal persons 
in some kind of rapport with the Media. 

Ans. — iThis is rather a learned objection, and 
harder to answer than its immediate predecessor. 
If it were more understandable and unequivocal 
to common apprehension, it might be more easily 
silenced. But, now, what does it mean ? Does 
the objector understand his own terms? Mesmer- 
ism ! what is that ? Clairvoyance ! what is that ? 
Psychological influence ! what is that 1 Mesmer- 
ism is a certain something, so called from Mesmer, 
its discoverer; as Galvanism was from Galvani. 
But what is this certain something? It is called 
Animal Magnetism, Mental Magnetism, Spiritual 
Magnetism. But what is it? It is a certain in- 
visible, imponderable, ethereal fluid, which a strong- 
willed operator can throw off from the ends of his 
fingers, or otherwise radiate from himself, upon 
some susceptible subject chosen for that purpose. 
This is called magnetizing. It puts the subject 
asleep, or in a sort of trance partially or com- 
pletely, brings all his powers more or less under 
the control of the magnetizer, and sometimes 
gives rise to very wonderful demonstrations. 
Strange tricks are played with the imagination ; 
all kinds of phantasy are superinduced ; and in 
the higher grade of cases Clairvoyance is devel- 
oped in its most astonishing phases. And what is 
Clairvoyance? Literally, clear-sightedness; the 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 83 

power of discerning objects not present to the 
senses ; that condition of the mind, soul, or spirit, 
in which it is able to look through material sub- 
stances, entirely opaque and impenetrable to the 
external eye: to extend its scope of vision to far 
distant places, so as to have a distinct cognition 
of persons and things there ; to see spirits and 
converse with them ; to trace otherwise unaccount- 
able results back to their remote causes ; to fore- 
see and predict many coming events; to discourse 
profoundly on topics respecting which the subject 
in his normal state has little or no knowledge, &c. 
&c, &,c. Does the objector believe in all this? 
He does, if he believes in Mesmerism and Clair- 
voyance. He believes also in the marvels of psy- 
chology. What is psychology 1 Soul-knowledge ; 
the doctrine of man's spiritual nature ; from the 
Greek pscche, soul, and logos, reason, understand- 
ing, discourse. What are psychological influences ? 
All influences of soul upon soul throughout the 
universe are psychological influences. Whenever 
the human spirit exerts an influence on a fellow 
being, that is a psychological influence. Now, 
we understand the terms of the objection before 
us. 

There is an exquisitely subtle element pertain- 
ing to the soul or spirit of man, which the objec- 
tor calls magnetism, but which I call spiricity. 
This is communicable from one soul to another, 
under appropriate conditions, and therebv the 
f2 



84 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

two souls come into rapport, as the French call it, 
or soul-communication. The process whereby 
this is effected is called mesmerizing, magnetiz- 
ing, or psychologizing. Its results are mesmeric 
and psychological phenomena of every grade and 
variety, from the lowest somnambulism to the 
highest clairvoyance. Again I ask, does the ob- 
jector believe in all this, as demonstrable between 
human spirits in the flesh? Yes. Very well ; so 
do I. Thus far, then, we are agreed. I have 
laid down, as a part of my doctrine, that these 
mesmeric, clairvoyant, and psychological pheno- 
mena sometimes proceed from spirits in the flesh, 
and sometimes from departed spirits ; always, how- 
ever, in accordance with spiritual laws, common 
more or less to the whole universe of souls. I 
have also taken the position that phenomena 
caused by souls in the body sometimes intermix 
with those caused by departed souls, and that thus 
the lower are liable to be mistaken for the higher. 
Here I am but one step ahead of the objector in 
my credulity. He believes in marvels, utterly in- 
credible to himself a few years ago, caused by 
Mesmerism, Clairvoyance, and psychological influ- 
ence, exerted by soul on soul in the flesh. Hav- 
ing been strained up by irresistible evidence to this 
hight of faith, he now obstinately denies that depart- 
ed spirits ever mesmerize, magnetize, or spiritize 
susceptible persons in the body ; that they ever 
exert psychological influences over them to render 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 85 

them Media; that they ever cause any of the 
phenomena purporting to be spirit manifestations ! 
Why? Because Mesmerism, Clairvoyance, and 
Psychological influences take place between soul 
and soul in the body, and these may possibly ac- 
count for all higher phenomena of the same na- 
ture. 31ost lame and impotent conclusions ! Some 
of the phenomena in question may be thus ac- 
counted for, but not the more important and pecu- 
liarly distinctive manifestations. Make the trial. 
Convene all the Mesmerizers, Pathetizers, Biolo- 
gizers and Thusologizers on the continent, with 
all their subjects, and let them produce these 
higher phenomena. If they can, I will stand 
back confounded. But they cannot. They will 
come out of the ordeal like Pharaoh's magicians. 
Some things that are done by departed spirits they 
might do. Other things not. Departed spirits have 
a higher mesmeric, magnetic, or psychological pow- 
er, than have mortals of a corresponding grade. 
Facts have proved this in many remarkable cases. 
It will yet be demonstrated to the conviction of all 
candid investigators. " But do the spirits them- 
selves assert that they magnetize and psychologize 
living persons V Certainly they do ; and they give 
ample evidence of it. To what, then, does this 
sixth objection amount ? To nothing for its au- 
thors, but to considerable against them. It shows 
that they believe a great deal too much, or quite 
too little. 



S6 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

Obj. 7. — There is so much lying, contradiction, 
incongruity, and puerility in the communications 
of these pretended spirits, that we have no faith at 
all in their spiritual origin. 

Ans. — And so you feel justified in throwing the 
whole away ! Do you act as wisely in all other 
cases ? The Bible has its discrepancies and con- 
tradictions ; do you entirely discard it on that ac- 
count ? Religion is professed by thousands of 
irreconcilable sects; do you therefore reject all 
religion ? Politics and government are full of 
deception, contradiction, and confusion ; do you 
therefore repudiate all social organization, law, 
and order ? Almost every case tried in our courts 
has false or contradictory witnesses, sophistical 
counter pleadings, and more or less nonsense ; do 
you therefore come to the conclusion that there 
is no truth or right in their controversies — that no 
witnesses and no lawyers are there — that the whole 
demonstration is a phantasm ? Trading through- 
out the world involves an immense amount of de- 
ceit and incongruity ; do you therefore eschew all 
trade, and doubt the existence of such beings as 
traders ? There are liars, hypocrites, knaves, and 
fools in all human societies ; do you therefore 
believe in the non-existence of truth, honesty and 
wisdom — in the non-existence of human society — 
in the non-existence of mankind ? In your circle 
of friends, however loving and beloved, there is 
more or less of falsehood, discord, contradiction, 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. $7 

and puerility, to disappoint, disgust, and shake 
your confidence ; do you therefore throw away all 
friends and friendship, and disbelieve in their 
actual existence? There are few human beings 
decently conversant with themselves, who do not 
find that they are streaked with self-contradiction 
— that they are sometimes what they despise at 
others — that they are bundles of incongruity, 
weakness, and folly ; would you therefore throw 
away, and resolve yourself into a nonentity ? Why 
not? "Consistency is a jewel." You have no 
faith in the reality of these spirit manifestations, 
because there is so much lying, contradiction, &c, 
about them. How much is there of all this about 
them, after all ? Any more than you find else- 
where, in men and things throughout nature? 
No. Just tell me who or what in the universe, 
except God and his well proved elect, you can im- 
plicitly accept and confide in, without question, 
without discrimination, and without making some 
allowance for tare ? Let the objector think a few 
second sober thoughts on this part of the subject, 
and he will cast his objection to the winds. Then 
he will take his winnowing-sieve into this investi- 
gation, resolved to " prove all things, and hold fast 
that which is good." And then he will see that 
these same lies, contradictions, incongruities, and 
puerilities, by which he has been so repelled, are 
precisely the incidentals to have been expected, in 
the crude stage of spirit manifestations, made, as 



88 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

they necessarily are, through imperfect Media, and 
sometimes by spirits of the lower circles. Who 
had a right to look only for perfect and unques- 
tionable demonstrations, in such a stage of the 
thing, and under such circumstances? Pray let 
us use a little reason and consideration in this, as 
well as other subjects. 

Obj. 8. — The communications, purporting to 
come from the world of departed spirits in con- 
nection with these manifestations, are common- 
place, unimportant, and useless. They give us no 
valuable information, nothing new — nothing but 
sentimentalisms, or what we all knew before. 

Ans. — No intelligent and truly candid man, 
who has taken care to inform himself on the sub- 
ject, can endorse this objection without great qual- 
ification. The interest taken in these communi- 
cations, by thousands of upright and sensible 
people, testifies to the contrary. Specifications 
might be made in great abundance to the contrary. 
But granting that the objection were much better 
founded than it is, would it not bear with equal 
force against nine-tenths of the sermons, speeches, 
books, and formal proceedings of mankind ? 
Great principles of truth and duty are all old, and 
in some sort common-place. Is it therefore of no 
importance to reiterate and apply them ? There 
is a God, and a future state of existence. Man 
ought to love God with all his heart, and his neigh- 
bor as himself. These are very old principles, 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 89 

and generally undisputed, though poorly heeded. 
Still, they need to be preached, illustrated, and 
urged. Every generation needs fresh inculcations 
and demonstrations of them. This seems to be 
thought quite proper, as respects the usual routine 
of human means. Hence we have thirty or forty 
thousand clergymen in this country, and institu- 
tional appliances without number. Their com- 
munications, stale, common-place and lifeless as 
they may be deemed by some, are nevertheless 
sought after, venerated, and sustained at much 
expense by multitudes. It is probable that the 
objector is one among these multitudes. Why, then, 
does he complain that spirit communications pre- 
sent nothing new, important, or useful ? His ob- 
jection is exploded by facts, and by its inconsis- 
tency with approved usages, even in the most 
sacred matters. 

Obj. 9. — These manifestations cause nervous 
disease, infatuation, and insanity. 

Ans. — They do, when grossly abused; not 
otherwise. So does love between the sexes. So 
does gold-seeking and property-getting. So does 
intellectual study. So does religion. So does 
every human interest and pursuit. Shall we there- 
fore oppose all connubial loves, all acquisition of 
property, all intellectual improvement, all religious 
instruction, and all the engrossing interests of 
life ? Look into the catalogues of your Insane 
Hospitals, and see the classifications of the in- 



90 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

mates, with reference to the causes of their insan- 
ity. Shall everything be condemned, the abuse 
of which results in disease, infatuation, and insan- 
ity ? No. It must be shown that a thing has a 
strong, natural and common tendency to produce 
mischief, or to draw its votaries into gross abu- 
like intoxicating beverages, and other pernicious 
gratifications of passional appetite. Then that 
thing stands justly condemned. It is not enough, 
that here and there an individual, or a small kn 
of persons, become over zealous, run into extrav- 
agance, abuse their health, get infatuated, and fall 
into insanity. All this may sometimes happen in 
a good cause, and in spite of wise counsels from 
solid and judicious friends. 

In the ear \ - 5 spiritual developments, 

its subjects and willing receivers very imperfectly 
understand its laws, and are inexperienced in or- 
derly methods of proceeding. .Meantime, it is 
choked on all sides by gross boorish 

tests. Sadducean sneers, superstitious panic, sanc- 
timonious anathemas, and all kinds of unreason- 
able opposition. If between the abuses of its ig- 
norant and inexperienced friends, and the asinine 
kickings of its opposers, nobody were made crazy, 
sick, or silly, it would be strange indeed. But if 
the accounts were fairly footed up, it would be 
found that ninety-nine of its i i] adherents 

had been rationalized, tranquillized, moralized, 
and improved, to one that had been injured It 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 91 

would also be found, on taking equal numbers and 
comparing results, that the popular religionism of 
the age, through all the great sects, had produced 
disease, infatuation, and insanity in its subjects, 
ten times where this Spirit Manifestationism had 
once. The same would be found true of intellec- 
tualists, moneyites, politicians, amusementarians, 
and sexual lovers. Let those who worry them- 
selves about the dreadful effect of this dangerous 
spiritualism, first count up the poor, broken down 
victims of these popular devoteeisms within the 
sphere of their knowledge. Then, having cast 
the beam out of their own eyes, they will more 
clearly see how to pull the mote out of their neigh- 
bor's eve. 

Obj. 10. — These new-fangled miracles and rev- 
elations will draw people away from the Bible. 
They tend to heresy, infidelity, irreligion, and im- 
morality. 

Ans. — So said the old Jews of Jesus, his mira- 
cles and revealments. He was charged with de- 
signing to destroy the law and the prophets ; with 
being a Samaritan and having a devil ; with work- 
ing his miracles by the power of Beelzebub ; with 
being a sinner, a friend of publicans and sinners, 
a deceiver, a seditionist, a sabbath-breaker, and a 
blasphemer. What truth or justice was there in 
all these charges ? A great deal, in the judgment 
of the Scribes and Pharisees, chief priests and 
rulers of those days. A great deal, in the opinion 



92 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

of thousands who honestly took their cue from 
those blind guides. But more than all, in the en- 
lightened judgment of those who regard divine 
fundamental principles, absolute truth, and essen- 
tial righteousness as eternal realities, and mere 
words, names, forms, and institutions as change- 
able conveniences. Just so it is, and will prove 
in the present case. Whatever of divine funda- 
mental principle, absolute truth, and essential 
righteousness there is in the Bible, in the popular 
religion, and in the established churches, will 
stand. It cannot be done away. On the contra- 
ry, it will be corroborated and fulfilled by Spirit 
Manifestations. I have yet to hear of the first be- 
liever in these Manifestations whose faith has been 
diminished in what is called the supernatural in the 
Bible, or in its fundamental principles, or in its 
essential righteousness as consisting in love to 
God and fellow-man. But we know that many 
who had no faith at all in the so-called supernatural 
of the Bible, and very little in a future existence, 
before witnessing the Manifestations, have thereby 
been brought to believe in the reality of both, with 
a strength of conviction greater than that evinced 
by the generality of reputed orthodox Christians. 
Why should it be otherwise ? Is it likely that one 
who is sure he has seen doors open and shut, 
heavy substances moved about, and a human body 
upborne, without mortal contrivance or effort, will 
believe less that Jesus walked on the water, that an 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



angel rolled away a great stone from the sepulcher, 
or that Peter was released from prison by a spirit ? 
Because one has seen brilliant lights and appear- 
ances of flame, caused, as he verily believes, by 
spirits, will he have less faith that the angel of 
God manifested himself to Moses in a burning 
bush ? Or that tongues of cloven flame sat on the 
apostles, at the great spiritual manifestation of 
Pentecost 1 Shall one hear all manner of sounds, 
caused by spiritual agency, even to a thundering 
roar which shakes the whole house, and therefore 
grow more skeptical about the thunders of Sinai? 
Or the " great noise as of a mighty rushing wind," 
and shaking of the place where the apostles 
prayed ? Shall one be convinced that spirits can 
actually write on paper, wood, and stone, with 
pens, pencils, &,c, and therefore have less faith 
that a mighty Angelic Spirit inscribed the Deca- 
logue on two tables of stone, and reached them 
fcrth out of a thick cloud to Moses ? Will men 
who are sure that they have conversed with the 
spirits of their departed friends for hours, therefore 
doubt whether Moses and Elias conversed with 
Jesus, at his transfiguration on the Mount ? Anti- 
Bible skepticism does not thrive on such nourish- 
ment. Neither does irreligion and immorality 
gain strength by the almost uniform religious, 
moral, and reformatory communications made in 
connection with these Manifestations. When the 
popular pulpit shall preach and insist upon as high 



94 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

a piety, as pure a morality, as devoted a philan- 
thropy, and as practical a Christianity, as are set 
forth in these spirit messages, it will have under- 
gone a great change for the better. 

As to the heresy of the spirits, it seems to con- 
sist chiefly in discarding the heathenish notions 
of a partial and vindictive God ; the endless, use- 
less torments of sinners in hell ; the existence of a 
Deific Devil, always opposed to the Universal 
Father ; and the unalterable moral condition of 
spirits in the next world. On these articles the 
spirits are very heterodox. In practicals. they 
teach us to adhere to the divine fundamentals of 
the Bible, and to reverence the spirit of those 
fundamentals, regardless of mere verbalism, phrase- 
ology, figures of speech, and external peculiarities. 
They condemn the world as it is, the church as it 
is. society as it is, and proclaim the indispensable 
necessity of individual and social regeneration. 
They are against war, slavery, debauchery, intem- 
perance ," ignorance, selfishness, vindictive punish- 
ments, persecution, bigotry, and whatever alien- 
ates man from God, from good spirits, and from 
his fellow human beings. 

Thus far, the objector may make all he can of 
their infidelity, heresy, and immorality. I am not 

ing to argue the case with him. I only beg him 
to remember what I now tell him, viz., that such 
infidelity, heresy, and immorality as this will one 
day prevail throughout the earth, in spite of pre- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 95 

judice, selfishness, violence, and folly. Then will 
there be universal wisdom, righteousness, peace, 
harmony, and bliss. 

Obj. 11. — It is all of the Devil; have nothing 
to do with it. 

Ans. — The Alpha of these objections was, 
" it is all a humbug. The Omega is, HP it is 
all of the Devil. When the Pharisees were driven 
from all their other objections to the excellent 
works and miracles of Jesus, they blasphemed, 
saying, he casteth out devils by Beelzebub, the 
prince of the devils ; it is all of the Devil — have 
nothing to do with it. Had they any proof that it 
was of the Devil ? Not one particle. Had they 
any decent reasons to suspect any such thing ? 
Not one. Did they really believe it was of the 
Devil. Not at all. Were they not under strong 
conviction that Jesus and his works were of 
God! Yes. Why, then, did they blaspheme? 
Because their hearts and their heads were perverse. 
They were driven to the wall for a pretext. They 
were filled with vexation and madness. Therefore, 
they wilfully and presumptuously ascribed the 
manifestations of his divine and spiritual power 
to the Devil. Thus they sinned against the Holy 
Ghost, bound themselves over in bonds of judicial 
darkness to ages of unescapable darkness and con- 
demnation. The Pharisees of our day are imita- 
ting those of old. It is all of the Devil, say they. 
But they say this after they have said everything 



06 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

else, and been forced to confess the reality of 
super-mortal agency. If they could have made it 
appear that these spirit manifestations were caused 
by any agency in this world of flesh and blood, 
they would never have ascribed them to the Devil. 
Nor do they now believe that they really are of 
the Devil. If they sincerely believed this, they 
would hail them as God-sent, or at least God-per- 
mitted, demonstrations to a skeptical generation, 
that there is, beyond denial, such a Deific Devil 
as their theology assumes to teach. And if, with- 
al, the revelations, miracles, and general influence 
of this demonstration had been obviously devilish, 
they would have be^en quite satisfied. Alas ! for 
them, there is too much of truth and good in it, to 
give it an infernal aspect. Bold as their tone is, 
they are by no means sure that it is the work of 
the Devil. An irresistible conviction plagues them 
that it is what it purports to be. It is ominous to 
them of an approaching religious, moral, and so- 
cial revolution, to which they are utterly opposed. 
This is what troubles them. This is what pro- 
vokes them to say, for sheer effect, {J\^ " It is ail 
of the Devil ; have nothing to do with it." They 
have no honest assurance that it is of the Devil. 
But they hate and dread its testimony. So, be- 
ing in too perverse a state of head and heart to 
give it a respectful examination, they shut their 
eyes, stop their ears, trample on the light proffered 
them, and cry out, " Devil ! Devil ! it is ail the 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 97 

work of the Devil ; have nothing to do with it !" 
With thousands of superstitious, narrow-minded 
sectarians, this is enough. They will reecho the 
sanctified blasphemy, and hide their heads in the 
sand, with all the prudence of the frightened os- 
trich. When I shall be convinced that such peo- 
ple are humble, honest lovers of truth on its own 
merits, I shall believe those old Pharisees were 
who raised the same cry against Jesus. Let it be 
remembered that the objection before us is not 
made against here and there a mischievous mani- 
festation of some low spirit, but against this whole 
spiritual development, including the highest won- 
ders and excellence. It is this that brands these 
objectors as willfully blind, dishonest, and presump- 
tuous. Justice proclaims them such, and charity 
can do no more than pity them, pray, hope, and 
labor for their conversion. 

Their policy and warning to others is, have 
nothing to do with it. They can try this ; and so 
far as their will and wisdom go, perhaps they may 
succeed. But will the Manifestations, therefore, 
cease? Will the spirits have nothing to do with 
these self-blinded adversaries? Or will they meet 
them in a thousand places, where least expected ? 
Will they pass through their barred gates and trip- 
pie bolted doors, into their most retired chambers ! 
Will they make their demonstrations effectual in 
spite of all hatred and cunning? Will they vindi- 
cate themselves and prevail ? I believe they will. 



08 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

Let the future determine. The humble, truthful, 
and upright have nothing to fear. Bigotry, hy- 
pocrisy, and iniquity were born to perish ; and no 
matter how soon they are precipitated into the bot- 
tomless pit. Thus will even the minds that have 
cherished them be saved, " yet so as by fire." 

In my next chapter I shall consider several par- 
ticular objections. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 99 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Particular Objections and Difficulties — 1. Com- 
mon people cannot distinguish between reliable 
and unreliable Manifestations, hence more mis- 
chief than benefit will result — 2. Admitting 
all you assert, what good can be expected from 
these Manifestations ? — 3. If you admit that 
some of the effects are Mesmeric, why may not 
all be ? — 4. If some of the communications are 
low, lying, and contradictory, how can we trust 
any of them ? — 5. If there are so many low 
spirits, why not a sovereign Devil at the bottom 
of it all ? — 6. How is it that so many get their 
own ideas reflected back ? — 7. Why are the com- 
munications purporting to come from distin- 
guished men often inferior in style to their mor- 
tal productions ? — 8. How is it that the spirits 
of persons still in the flesh pretend to come from 
the regions of the departed?. — 9 How is it that 
unbelievers in the spiritual origin of these Man- 
ifestations can make tables hiove, and get re- 
sponses from dead animals and fictitious charac- 
ters? — 10. If from departed spirits, why have 
not these Manifestations happened before? — 11. 
If you go the length you do on this subject, ivill 

you not be obliged to believe also in the old ex- 
g2 



100 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

ploded notions and stories about presentiments, 
apparitions, haunted houses, ghosts, demoniacs, 
and even witches ? — 12, If you run into suck 
vagaries, do you expect to retain your reputation 
for common sense, or even for sanity. 

I now take up certain particular objections and 
difficulties, likely to be alleged against my Position, 
Theory, and Views relative to these Spirit Mani- 
festations. 

Obj. 1 — Taking you on your own ground, and 
admitting all you contend for, it must require great 
ability and judgment to distinguish between relia- 
ble and wnreliable spirit communications ; and 
therefore common people will find this whole de- 
velopment a fruitful source ot error and delusion. 
It cannot be of general benefit, but must be equiv- 
ocal and mischievous to the many. 

Ans. — Solid honesty, common sense, and a de- 
cent judgment, are indispensable requisites to the 
investigation of all subjects of considerable impor- 
tance, even in the ordinary affairs of life. This 
demands no higher qualifications. Common peo- 
ple are presumed to possess these. It is only un- 
common people that are greatly deficient in them, 
— those who are so low as to remind one of the 
monkey and the ass, or so high in the sophistica- 
tions of artificial culture, as to despise the virgin 
ore of Truth. To these, nothing is valuable but 
what has gone through the crucible, the retort 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 101 

and the entire laboratory, and come out in a state 
of polished manufacture. The former cannot 
treat this subject worthily ; the latter will not. 
Such are not to be ranked among common peo- 
ple. They are either below or above that honora- 
ble grade. Men and women who are relied on 
for sterling honesty and good sense, in the graver 
matters of ordinary life, are the people to investi- 
gate this matter. Let them look into it and report 
the facts, as they do in other matters referred to 
their consideration by their neighbors. And' then, 
let their report have the weight commonly given 
to their testimony and judgment by those who 
know them. This is all I ask. This all the 
Spirit Manifestations demand, to insure a fair un- 
derstanding of their merits. This is all that com- 
mon people need in order to eschew delusion 
and derive substantial moral profit from them. 
And of all this common people are capable. Per- 
ceiving no weight in the objection, I dismiss it. 
Before proceeding to another, I respectfully sug- 
gest to investigators the following advisory 

DIRECTIONS '. 

1. Be not ashamed, nor afraid, nor unwilling to 
embrace truth, come whence or how it may. 

2. Respect your own senses and judgment 
enough to trust them decently. 

3. Procure all the credible testimony you can, 
in print and otherwise, concerning spirit manifes- 



10'2 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

tations ancient and modern, weigh it deliberately 
at home, and be in no haste to examine cases until 
you can have good opportunities; then improve 
them. 

4. Hold sittings with no Medium whom you be- 
lieve morally capable of deception or trick. Con- 
fide, or refrain. 

5. Have few persons present, and none but can- 
did, sensible, and well behaved ones. 

6. Be serious, deliberate, frank, and unaffected ; 
propose what tests you please, but abstain from all 
pettifogging lawyerism, pertinacity, and over ur- 
gency ; be content with such developments as come 
freely, and set everything down for what it is 
worth. You may desire much, and get little. 
Remember that you are not required to give credit 
for more than you receive, nor to take chaff for 
wheat. 

7. Take care not to overtax the nervous energy 
of the Medium by long sittings, nor undue excite- 
ment. 

8. Take notes of all important phenomena and 
incidents. 

9. Accept, or reject, or hold in doubt, what 
purports to come from departed spirits, for what 
would be sufficient reasons, if it came from spirits 
in the flesh. This must be the standing rule. 

10. Treat all persons concerned, whether de- 
parted or undeparted spirits, as enjoined in the 
golden rule; and if there be evil, overcome it 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 103 

with good. Be uniformly just, considerate, and 
kind. 

These are directions for honest, sensible, com- 
mon people. By such they can be understood and 
followed. And no one who decently observes 
them will fail of success and moral profit, in the 
investigation of these phenomena. As to those 
un common people, who cannot or will not conform 
to such directions, they must stand or fall to their 
own master. The truth will never bend to their 
crookedness, whether it be natural or artificial. 

Obj. 2. — Your Position, Theory, and Views 
may possibly be correct ; but if they are, what 
good will these Manifestations do? Will they be 
of any substantial benefit to mankind ? Are they 
worth the pains of investigation 1 

Ans. — Such objections suggest a ready reply in 
all true minds. Where is there another theme 
more intensely interesting to universal man, than 
this of spirit existence and manifestation? To 
insinuate the contrary, is to mock the deepest 
yearnings of human nature in its best moments, 
and to ignore its entire religious history. Men 
instinctively grasp at whatever reveals an existence 
beyond the dissolution of the body, or reaffirms it, 
or affords the least indication that the departed 
can possibly find means of communicating with 
their earthly friends. Is it presumable, then, that 
the astonishing phenomena before us will not re- 
munerate the pains of a decent examination? 



104 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

And shall it be asked, GP what good is to be ex- 
pected even if demonstrated to be what it pur- 
ports 1 It will convert thousands from gross in- 
fidelity. It will cure millions of involuntary, 
semi-skepticism. It will render a future existence 
real to the whole human race. It will reinvigo- 
rate every great religious and moral truth, hereto- 
fore revealed to mankind. It will intensify all the 
sublime motives that urge human nature on to a 
heavenly destiny. It will advance from step to 
step of demonstration, till death shall be disarmed 
of its terrors. It will usher in a new era of faith, 
hope, and charity. It will peaceably revolutionize 
the religious, moral, and social state of the world. 
Yes, if it prove to be a reality, it will do all this. 
If it be not a reality, the sooner its pretensions are 
effectually exploded the better. In either case, 
its candid and thorough investigation is all im- 
portant and unavoidable. It must and will be in- 
vestigated. 

Obj. 3. — If, as you admit, some of these phe- 
nomena are caused by mesmeric influences in the 
flesh, why may not all be? 

Ans. — Because facts and analogies warrant no 
such conclusion. Causes must be equal to effects. 
We can see that some of the effects under consid- 
eration require no higher causes than those psy- 
chological ones known to exist in wndeparted 
spirits. We know that these and similar effects 
have actually resulted from mesmeric influences in 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 105 

many cases. As they are effects produced by the 
action of mind, they naturally belong to one great 
spiritual department of nature, whose gradations 
extend through the whole range of soul-existence. 
Therefore, if departed spirits act at all in these 
Manifestations, it is perfectly natural that imde- 
parted ones should also act, and thus incidentally 
mix up lower effects with higher ones, though ut- 
terly incapable of causing the higher. But why 
am I so confident that spirits in the flesh are inca- 
pable of producing those highest effects ? Because 
they never have produced them, and there is no 
good presumptive proof that they are able to do so ; 
and because the agency which does produce them 
universally declares itself to be from the world of 
departed spirits. When spirits in the flesh come 
forward and say that they produce those effects, 
and demonstrate their words by their deeds, then 
I will believe their testimony, as I now do that of 
spirits. Has any such thing ever been done? 
Who are the mortals that pretend to produce these 
highest effects mesmerically ? Or are they pro- 
duced unconsciously ? If so, why does not the 
causative agency, sometimes at least, honestly 
avow itself? Why always deceive? Will a man 
of sense, in the face of these reasons, persist in 
ascribing all these effects, higher and lower, to 
some undetectable, fantastic, chance-working, un- 
consciously exercised mundane influence ? This 



106 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

is taking too much pains to make one's self ridic- 
ulous. 

Obj. 4. — If some of these communications, as 
you admit, are low, lying, contradictory, &,c, why 
should any of them be trusted ? 

Ans. — Because many of them are intrinsically 
truthful and good. Because such commend them- 
selves to men's highest convictions and best judg- 
ment. Because there is no just ground for dis- 
trusting them. Because they agree with known 
truth and goodness. Because they are sometimes 
corroborated beyond a reasonable doubt. Is Truth 
to be turned out of doors, because Falsehood stole 
and ran away with her clothing 1 Is righteousness 
to be spurned, because iniquity has cheated us ? 
Is an intelligent spirit to be despised, because an 
ignorant one has imposed on us I Is a true wit- 
ness to be discredited, because a false one has been 
detected ? Is nothing to be believed, because 
everything cannot ? Is no body to be trusted, be- 
cause every one cannot ? If so, it is useless for 
man to think of being or doing anything. Every- 
where and in all things he is obliged to choose 
between good and evil, truth and error, right and 
wrong, the reliable and the unreliable. Why ob- 
ject to doing the same thing in this matter of 
Spirit Manifestations ? Low, lying, and contra- 
dictory developments are not the rule, but the ex- 
ception. Let us govern ourselves accordingly. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 107 

Let us exercise common sense on this and all 
other subjects. 

Obj. 5. — If there are so many low spirits, as you 
seem to represent, in the inferior circles of the 
spirit world, ready to manifest their ignorance and 
perverseness wherever they can find opportunity, 
may there not be a sovereign Devil, after all, and 
he be at the bottom of this whole mysterious mat- 
ter ? 

Ans. — The existence of low spirits in the other 
world no more presupposes the existence of a sov- 
ereign Devil, than does the existence of such spir- 
its in this world. There are no more, in propor- 
tion to the aggregate of spirits, there than here. 
We have no evidence that any are loicer there than 
here, whilst the majority are reported higher. But 
whether here or there low spirits exist, there is no 
need of imagining an infernal Deity as the cause 
or concomitant of it. All ignorant and perverse 
souls may be considered devils of some grade. In 
a greater or less degree, they are adversaries of 
truth, righteousness, moral order, their own good, 
and the good of their fellow-creatures. Jesus 
called Judas a devil, and said to Peter, " Get thee 
behind me, Satan." This world has many giant 
devils in it, compared with Judas. The other 
world may have, for aught I know. But all of 
them were created by one God, and are under his 
government. They are devils only through low- 
ness of their spiritual constitution, or perversion 



108 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

of what, rightly used, would have been good ; not 
by the causations of an infernal Deity. 

All error and sin have their primeval origin in 
lack of Love and Wisdom, not in the machina- 
tions of a diabolical being. They spring from a 
Negative tendency, not a Positive cause. The 
self-hood of all finite natures has a natural ten- 
dency to reveal its inherent imperfection — its lack 
of the infinite and perfect. Thus the absence of 
light reveals darkness, the absence of heat reveals 
cold, the absence of strength reveals weakness, 
the absence of order reveals disorder, the absence 
of force reveals inertia, and the absence of life re- 
veals death. So the absence of love reveals selfish- 
ness, the absence of wisdom reveals folly, the ab- 
sence of truth reveals error, and the absence of 
good reveals evil. Light and heat are positive 
substances ; strength is a positive energy ; order 
is a positive work ; force is a positive motific 
power ; and life is a vivifying principle. But what 
is darkness? what is cold? what is weakness? 
what is disorder ? what is inertia ? what is death ? 
They are all mere negative conditions, or states. 
They are neither beings nor things. Just so Love 
and Wisdom, truth and good, are positive divine 
principles, or absolute entities. But selfishness, 
folly, error, evil, are negative states and conditions, 
universally revealed in the self-hood of finite na- 
tures by the absence of those positives. Just in 
the degree that beings lack Love and Wisdom, 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 1C9 

truth and good, they are naturally selfish, foolish, 
false and evil. And being thus, their low degree 
of the divine good gives rise to all the abuses and 
perversions of nature which we call sins. This is 
why we have low spirits in the flesh, and why, 
leaving this world low, millions depart and con- 
tinue such, perhaps for long ages, in the next. God 
and countless holy angels are promoting the ele- 
vation of all inferior spirits, by all the means estab- 
lished in the eternal moral order of Spiritual 
Nature. And there is no other Devil to resist 
them than negative lowness, or their thence-arising 
positive perversions of powers, faculties and things 
in themselves good. Negatively they are low, and 
positively they may be perverse in many of their 
activities. Thus far they may be regarded as 
devils in their several degrees, whether residing in 
the flesh or out of it. But I do not admit for one 
moment, that they are given over to the power of a 
Deific Devil, or that any such Devil can be at the 
bottom of these Spirit Manifestations. There is 
but one God. He divides empire with no rival. 
He is Love and Wisdom. " Of Him, and through 
Him, and to Him are all things," to whom be glory 
throughout Infinity and Eternity. 

Obj. 6. — How is it that people can so often get 
their own favorite ideas and wishes reflected back, 
in so called spirit responses? 

Ans. — This does not happen half so often as 
many assert. They overstate and exaggerate facts. 



110 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

They make too much of a few raw cases. Yet it 
happens often enough to demand explanation. In 
such cases the Media are of recent development 
and very imperfect, or else, for the time being, are 
in an impassive, feverish state, and greatly influ- 
enced by positive minds near them. These exer- 
cise astrong physical influence, and either suspend, 
or warp and deflect the action of the spirit at- 
tempting to respond. 1 have always found this to 
be the true explanation of such difficulties, in cases 
within the reach of my scrutiny. And yet some 
people, accustomed to treat other subjects in a very 
different manner, turn away in disgust, giving no 
just consideration to the facts and circumstances 
of the case, with the sweeping remark, " O, you 
can get anything you like; spirits have nothing to 
do with it." I protest against all such headlong, 
wholesale and unjust conclusions. 

Obj. 7. — How is it that many of the communi- 
cations, purporting to come from distinguished 
men, are obviously inferior in force and dignity of 
stvle to their known earthly productions? 

Arts. — All are not so. There are unexception- 
able ones. But of the many against which the 
objection is plausible, I have somewhat to say in 
explanation. Some of them, in all probability, are 
apocryphal. Either the Medium was in a dreamy, 
imaginative, semi-mesmeric state, and wrote from 
uppermost suggestion what seemed to come from 
an eminent spirit ; or else phantasy of the mental 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. Ill 

powers had been superinduced, by psychical influ- 
ences not readily traceable to their origin, and the 
writing followed ; or else some spirit from the low- 
. er circles, ambitious to personate a highly distin- 
guished one, actually played the part of a pretender, 
Writing Mediumship is liable to very considera- 
ble anomalies. I read communications purporting 
to come from these illustrious sources with a good 
deal of distrust. Yet I cannot doubt that some 
of them are substantially authentic and reliable. 
These, however, are not all invulnerable to the 
objection. A part of them exhibit the defects 
complained of How is this to be accounted for ? 
By making due allowance for the imperfection of 
the Media. Perhaps not one in fifty of those yet 
developed is susceptible of sufficient spiricity to 
be a clear intellectual Medium, and at the same 
time passive enough not .to perplex the impressions 
and expressions of a communicating spirit. Yet, 
without this strength, clearness and complete pas- 
sivity of the Medium, no spirit can be expected to 
give his own peculiar language. The Medium is 
a sort of amanuensis, translator or interpreter of 
the spirit's leading ideas. In this character Media 
will exhibit, in various degrees, the defects of their 
own respective rhetoric. Unless their perspicuity, 
force and command of language be equal to that 
of the mind communicating through them, the 
same results must follow, as when an accomplished 
mind in the flesh is obliged to write or speak 



112 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

through a clumsy amanuensis, translator or inter- 
preter. He would have to be content with appearing 
to critics who did not understand the imperfection 
of the Medium, a rhetorician far below his rank. < 
This is always considered a misfortune in our 
world. It may be so deemed in the other. But 
it is reasonable to presume, that the greater and 
better minds become, the more they care for fun- 
damental principles and ideas, and the less for 
mere verbiage. Hence some great spirits may 
now be willing to communicate through Media, 
whose rhetorical defects they would hardly have 
tolerated in an amanuensis or translator, when on 
earth. Why should it not be so ? And why should 
we not make allowance accordingly ? If the prin- 
ciples, sentiments, leading ideas, and general de- 
sign of the communication are unexceptionable, 
why should incidental defects of diction be thought 
of sufficient importance to invalidate them ? 

It is amazing to see the unreasonableness and 
pertinacity of our opponents. They have taken 
the ground that none of these Manifestations, none 
of these communications, are from departed spirits. 
We have taken the position that some of them are 
from departed spirits, and others not. What then ? 
These unreasonable opponents doggedly insist that 
we shall defend every one of the manifestations, 
purporting to come from departed spirits, as genu- 
ine, and that we shall be answerable for every com- 
munication, not only as genuine in substance, but 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 113 

in rhetoric, orthography and punctuation. No 
allowance is to be made for the unavoidable imper- 
fection of Mediumship, nor for deflecting causes, 
nor for unfavorable circumstances. Some even go 
so far as to insist that, if we publish what we be- 
lieve to be realiable and edifying communications 
at all, we are bound to publish all that we deem u?i- 
reliable, or wraedifying, without discrimination, 
and without the least editorial correction. And 
if we make selections, discriminations, or the 
merest verbal corrections, they pronounce us dis- 
honest ! Suppose we are placed in possession of 
a deceased friend's manuscripts, diary, correspon- 
dence and miscellaneous papers; should we be 
dishonest, if we published select portions, and cor- 
rected their incidental errors ? Must we publish 
evety written thing precisely as the author happen- 
ed to leave it ? Would these captious persons 
insist on having their writings dealt with in the 
same way ? Do compilers and biographers ever 
act in this manner? Would a man who would 
pursue such a course be fit for a compiler, biogra- 
pher or editor 7 Every mind of intelligence and 
candor will answer, no. Yet if I will not treat 
spirit writings confided to my disposal in this 
wicked and absurd manner, forsooth, I am a dis- 
honest, or at least a very uncandid man, endeavoring 
to make out a bad case, in a one-sided, underhand 
way ! In vain I plead my reiterated position, viz : 
some of these manifestations and communications 

H 



114 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

are really from departed spirits, and others are 
wholly or partly caused by the influence of spirits 
in the flesh. In vain I plead, that on my own 
ground, I have a right and am in duty bound to 
discriminate, select, correct, and make allowances. 
No, say these indomitable opponents, you shall not 
stand on any such ground. You shall take the 
whole, or none. You shall publish the whole, or 
none. You shall defend the whole, precisely as 
you get them from the Media, or none. You shall 
not alter a word, nor put in a comma, nor cross a t, 
nor dot an i. You shall consider it all as coming 
from departed spirits, from just such departed 
spirits as purport to be its authors, and with just 
such defects as may chance to mark it. Then we 
will demonstrate, by profound criticisms and mag- 
nanimous comments, that it is nothing but a hodge- 
podge of intolerable gibberish ! O, most generous 
and candid souls, how shall the believers in spirit 
manifestations contrive to win your good opinion ! 
You have indeed piped unto us, but we have not 
danced ; you have wailed, but we have not lament- 
ed ; you have multiplied objections, but we have 
not been confounded ! It is a hard case, perhaps, 
and to soften it, I respectfully suggest to the con- 
tending parties that now somewhat popular axiom, 
" Live, and let live." There is a day coming when 
we shall all be of one mind and of one heart — a 
mind full of divine Wisdom, a heart full of divine 
Love. Let us not postpone that day to the far-off 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 115 

Future, by aggravating and intensifying our pres- 
ent differences. 

Obj. 8. — How is it that spirits sometimes pur- 
port to come from the world of spirits, and yet, 
after all their great pretensions and demonstra- 
tions, the real persons themselves are found to be 
still alive in the flesh? 

Ans. — Cases of this kind have occasionally oc- 
curred. I have known one such, and heard of 
several others. I account for them, as I account 
for similar impositions among men in the flesh. 
In all ages there have been impostors who took 
false names, and personated the character of others. 
Sometimes the personation and deception have 
been completely successful for months, and even 
years, before detection took place. The motive? 
of impostors are sometimes mischievous, selfish, 
and sometimes seemingly but the love of mere 
sport or amusement. If all this is true of some 
spirits in the flesh, why may it not be equally true 
of some departed spirits ? And if true of both, 
does it not sufficiently account for the anomalous 
cases under consideration ! 

But, says the objector, " Departed spirits never 
enact such impositions." Do you know this? 
Do you know that they never enact even the most 
harmless of these impositions ? If they never do, 
it must be because they icill not, or cannot. Are 
all departed spirits so pure and elevated that none 
of them can possibly will even to amuse thera- 
h2 



116 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS, 

selves, by taking the name, and trying to person- 
ate the peculiarities of another spirit ? Such an 
idea' is absurd. Perhaps, however, the objector 
prefers to assert a cannot, rather than a will not, 
Why cannot some of the lower spirits do this ? Is it 
because God absolutely prevents it ? Why may not 
God permit departed spirits sometimes to practice 
impositions, as well as to permit wwdeparted ones 
to do it ? Why does he permit this very imposi- 
tion at all, whatever its origin? All such assump- 
tions are mere presumptions. ** What can we 
reason but from what we know V We know that 
God does permit a great deal of imposition by 
spirits in the flesh. We know that an imposition 
or deception of some sort actually takes place in 
the cases we are trying to account for. God per- 
mits all this, whatever the immediate cause ? If 
electricity, magnetism, or any other unconscious 
agent be the cause of it, still it is a deception, and 
God permits it. Is it more unreasonable to con- 
clude that he permits departed spirits to cause it, 
than w/zdeparted ones, or senseless, imponderable 
matter? Certainly not. Here the debate ends. 
The naked question alone remains, is it more 
probable that the imposition proceeds from a de- 
parted spirit, as is asserted by reliable spirits; or 
that it happens by mere chance, as the old atheists 
used to say the world was created ; or that it is 
unconsciously caused by minds in the flesh ; or 
that it is produced in an unaccountable way by 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 117 

that masterly magician, Electricity ! My opinion 
is, that such impositions are enacted by departed 
spirits not yet pure and high enough to eschew all 
untruthfulness. When I can account for them 
more rationally, I shall do so with pleasure. * 

In dismissing this objection, I am reminded 
of an incident which I wish to relate. Some 
weeks since a very intelligent gentleman, who has 
experimented on these mysteries a little, but who 
is sure that departed spirits have nothing to do 
with the phenomena, remarked rather positively 
that what came through the Media all originated 
in the minds of mortals. Presently, however, he 
went on to relate one of these cases of imposition, 
which took place at one of his sittings with a me- 
dium of undoubted truthfulness. A spirit came 
and communicated, puporting to be a well-known 
friend, who was presumed to be alive, residing at 
some distance in the country. The gentleman 
wrote immediately a letter of inquiry, and ascer- 
tained that the spirit of his friend was indeed still 
in the flesh. This was conclusive with him, that 
departed spirits had nothing to do with the matter. 
But a believer, who sat by, asked the gentleman, 
if either he or the medium had beforehand the 
idea in their minds that came out to them in the 
shape of this imposition? " Not at all," was the 
honest reply. " How, then, do you defend the 
position you took a few minutes ago with so much 
isoafidence, that all the ideas originate in thg 



118 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

minds of the media, or persons present?" The 
answer was silence. I allude to this incident as 
an illustration of the fact, that nearly every objec- 
tion raised in this controversy by skeptics, either 
flatly contradicts preceding objections, or is con- 
tradicted by succeeding ones. We can scarcely 
put two of them side by side without seeing that 
they mutually explode each other. But the ground 
on which I stand is defended by reasons and argu- 
ments that perfectly agree with each other, and 
with all the essential facts. Truth has many links 
in her chain, and they are mutually consistent 
with each other. Error also has many links in 
hers, but they are utterly discordant. "It is fated 
to error to run crooked. 53 

Obj. 9. — How is it that some, who do not be- 
lieve departed spirits have anything to do with 
these Manifestations, can make tables move by the 
power of their will, and get responses from dead 
animals and fictitious characters? 

Ans. — Such phenomena are so extremely rare 
and equivocal, that no sufficient opportunity has 
been offered for investigating either the facts or 
their causes. How far the mesmeric, psychologi- 
cal, or spiritic power of minds in the flesh may be 
exerted in moving material substances remains to 
be seen. That such a power exists is probable, if 
not certain. Under what conditions, or to what 
extent it can be exerted, I should be glad to learn. 
It might throw light on the exercise of such power 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 119 

by departed spirits. But of one thing I feel con- 
fident ; if this will-power can be exerted by spirits 
in the flesh, it is not likely to be exerted without 
their having some consciousness of it. One or 
two cases of the kind have been reported to me, 
but I have seen no demonstration. Nor is it at 
all certain, in the cases reported, but the movings 
which actually occurred were caused by departed 
spirits, suiting themselves to the call of the person 
that supposed his own will-power produced the ef- 
fect. When the experiment shall have succeeded • 
on several repeated trials, all parties will have bet- 
ter data from which to deduce conclusions. As 
a believer in the exertion of will-power by departed 
spirits, there is no necessity for my utterly denying 
the existence of such power in z/wdeparted ones. 
But when it shall have been demonstrated, the 
question will come up in each actual case, was the 
power exerted consciously ? If z/wconsciously 
what do our opponents in this controversy gain by 
it ? If consciously , I am perfectly willing the real 
operator, visible or invisible, should have the credit 
of it. As to responses from animals and fictitious 
characters, alleged to have been made through the 
Rappings, in one or two cases, the probability is 
that they were made by departed spirits from a cir- 
cle low enough not to feel degraded by carrying 
on such a colloquy, under such circumstances. 
This is the explanation given by truthful spirits. 
J find no other so rational. If there be a better 



120 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

one, I shall cheerfully accept it when it comes. 
There may have been something in the imperfec- 
tion of the medium, or in the psychological influ- 
ence of the experimenter, whereby the phenomena 
were^produced, or strangely peculiarized, without 
the intervention of any departed spirit. If so, 
new cases will bring out the fact. As at present 
enlightened, I must stand by the conclusion al- 
ready stated. Meantime, what does the objector 
make out of the phenomena in question ? Does 
he believe that the spirit of a dead horse or dog 
really responded and made communications ? Of 
course not. Does he believe that it all came out 
of the minds of the Medium and experimenter ? 
If so, where is his proof? If not, how does he 
account for it ? No how. He says he feels under 
no obligation to account for it. He only brings 
it up to show that the whole aggregate of so called 
Spirit Manifestations is incongruous, absurd, inex- 
plicable, and unworthy of respectful considera- 
tion. Let him enjoy his opinion till obliged to 
change it by the force of demonstration. If I am 
correct in my judgment and impressions of the 
matter, he will not have to wait many years. If 
I have mistaken the truth, let me be convinced of 
it, and bear patiently the burden of my reproach. 

Obj. 10. — If these Manifestations are really 
from departed spirits, why have they never occur- 
red before ? 

Ans. — They have occurred before to some ex- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 121 

tent, at different periods, and in various locations ; 
though not in precisely the same forms, nor so gen- 
erally, publicly, and intelligibly. Until I investi- 
gated the subject, I was not aware that the one- 
hundredth part of such manifestations had ever 
taken place among mankind, which I am now con- 
vinced have. Whoever will read the works that 
treat on phenomena of this nature, or converse in 
sober confidence with the class of persons in any 
region of country who have had experience in 
super-mortal demonstrations, will find to his aston- 
ishment, that there is a world of well attested facts, 
of which he had before no just conception. In- 
deed, there are few neighborhoods, from some of 
whose worthy and truthful inhabitants remarkable 
facts of this kind may not be obtained. The gen- 
erality of persons, by whom the most important 
and reliable information might be given, have 
been educated into the habit of concealing it en- 
tirely, or communicating it with great caution, lest 
it should subject them to the odious suspicion of 
being weak, visionary, credulous, superstitious, or 
partially insane. Materialistic philosophy and re- 
ligious Sadduceeism, combining with gross popu- 
lar sensualism, have superinduced these habits of 
concealment and caution. Nevertheless, what is 
known and felt can be reached, by penetrating its 
inner spiritual sanctuary. This I have sometimes 
done, and gained a rich remuneration for my pains. 
I shall not now go into a citation of the evidence 



122 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

by which the foregoing assertions are warranted ; 
because I cannot do so without swelling this vol- 
ume altogether beyond its proper dimensions. 1 
hold myself responsible, however, to furnish ample 
proofs of these assertions, whenever their truth 
shall be denied by equally responsible objectors. 

Obj. 11. — In going the length you do on this 
general subject, must you not feel obliged to be- 
lieve also in presentiments, forewarnings, appari- 
tions, ghosts, demoniacs, haunted houses, and 
witchcraft ? 

Ans. — I have no hesitation in avow r ing just what 
and how much I feel obliged to believe in presen- 
timents, forewarnings, apparitions, ghosts, demo- 
niacs, haunted houses, and witchcraft. I believe 
there have been real presentiments, and also many 
w/zreal ones ; that there have been real forewarn- 
ings, and also many unreal ones ; that there have 
been real apparitions of deceased persons — real 
ghosts, and also many unreal ones — counterfeit 
ones, mere imaginary ones. I believe that there 
have been real demoniacs, i. e., persons possessed, 
obsessed, or in some way infested by low departed 
spirits, and I also believe that many have been 
supposed such, whose unfortunate nervous condi- 
tion was superinduced chiefly by physical causes 
of disease. I believe that there have been real 
haunted houses, i. e., houses in which super-mortal 
sights, movements, and sounds have been wit- 
nessed ; and also that there have been many un- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 123 

real ones — houses infested only by the pranks of 
cunning mortals, or of animals, or of the serial 
elements. I believe that there have been witches and 
wizzards, i. e., persons of mysterious psychologi- 
cal susceptibilities, powers, and peculiarities, some 
of whom have used those powers malignantly, 
others chiefly for a livelihood, and others for mere 
fame or distinction ; and I also believe that my- 
riads have been reputed witches and wizzards, who 
were not only innocent of crime and evil intention, 
but destitute of any remarkable psychological 
power. All this I believe, on what is as good evi- 
dence to my mind as a truly rational being can 
demand. And I do not feel driven to believe 
more. I do not believe in effects without causes, 
I do not believe in anything which is not natural 
in its kind and place. Nor in any department of 
nature without laws, according to which causes 
and effects operate. Nor in any super-mortal or 
super-mundane realities, whose natural causes, if 
we were high enough to understand them, would 
be less explainable than the ordinary phenomena 
of our sensuous existence. 

Obj. 12. — If you run into such exploded delu- 
sions and wild vagaries, do you flatter yourself you 
can retain your reputation for common sense, or 
even sanity. 

Ans. — My reputation for good sense and a 
sound mind I have jeopardized again and again 
during the last thirty years. I never had a great 



124 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

deal to take care of. The little that I have has 
been lost and found again several times. I am 
persuaded that it is best cared for, when I forget 
it in the pursuit of truth and duty. I do not pre- 
tend to despise, or to be wholly indifferent to my 
reputation. But after the wholesome experience 
and discipline I have undergone, I am disposed to 
follow and avow my highest convictions on all sub- 
jects of serious importance to human welfare, and 
to risk the consequences. I have not habituated 
myself to ask leave of men to investigate any sub- 
ject, nor to form my own opinions, nor to express 
my convictions^on proper occasions. It is not for 
me to exact any man's concurrence, favor, or 
respect Each has his own rights, duties, respon- 
sibilities. Each must reap as he sows. If I can 
so act my part in life as not to despise myself when 
I stand before God's Looking-Glass, I shall en- 
deavor to be satisfied, however weak, credulous, 
or insane I may be reputed to be by the " wise 
and prudent " of this world. At any rate, I have 
respect enough for the immortal part of my nature, 
not to be a slave even to reputation. My mental 
freedom has cost me so much, besides its own in- 
trinsic worth, that I am determined, with divine 
help, not to be flattered, sneered, nor frightened 
out of it. 

Ignorance mistakes, distorts, perverts, and abuses 
all things. Hence the dark history of human su- 
perstition; the general dread of evil spirits, ghosts, 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 125 

goblins, and witches ; the barbarous punishments 
inflicted on persons presumed to be in compact 
with infernal beings ; and all the abominable per- 
secutions carried on in the name of religion. But 
I trust an era is dawning, whose noon-day glory 
will emancipate the children of men from this dark 
and cruel thraldom, — an era in which " the truth, 
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth " shall 
be established, — an era in which Charity, sur- 
mounting the temple of Justice, shall radiate her 
beams over the whole earth, till the highest good 
of every human being shall be seen in its true 
connection with the highest good of all other hu- 
man beings, and never more be sacrificed or dis- 
regarded. For a considerable time to come, 
doubtless the grievous effects of ignorance, error, 
folly, superstition, skepticism, sensuality, and vin- 
dictiveness will continue to embitter the expe- 
riences of mankind. We must endure these evils 
with hopeful patience. They will gradually be 
overcome with good. Truth will finally triumph 
over falsehood, wisdom over folly, righteousness 
over iniquity, mercy over cruelty, charity over 
selfishness, spiritualism over carnalism, and hap- 
piness over misery. For this glorious consumma- 
tion, all who have drank at the fount of divine 
Love and Wisdom will work earnestly, heroically, 
and with indomitable perseverance. With these, 
though it be as one of the least among them all, 
may my Heavenly Father grant me a place ; and 



126 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

help me never to shrink from my just responsibil- 
ity, whether I receive from mortals smiles or frowns, 
applause or sneers, honor or contempt, benefaction 
or persecution. And if, by such fidelity to my 
highest light, on this or any other subject, I lose 
the little reputation hitherto accorded to me for 
common sense and sanity, may I never doubt that 
God and the Future will take proper care of it. 

My next chapter will consist chiefly of extracts 
from the writings of opposers. It will be an illus- 
tration, in their own chosen language, of the 
spirit and character of their opposition. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 127 



CHAPTER IX. 

Specimens of the opposition — Extracts from the 
Puritan Recorder, an Orthodox Congregation- 
alist paper — Article from the Olive Branch, a 
Protestant Methodist paper, introducing and 
recommending an article from the Boston Pilot, 
a Roman Catholic paper — Article from the 
Gospel Banner, a Univcrsalist paper — Brief 
Comments. 
The design of this chapter is to furnish the reader, 
and to place on permanent record, an illustration 
of the nature, spirit, and character of the opposi- 
tion which has arrayed itself against Spirit Mani- 
festations. Naturalists take great pains to pre- 
serve specimens of rare vegetables, insects, and 
animals. Even venomous reptiles and uncouth 
monsters are thought worthy of such preservation. 
With somewhat of the same motives, I embalm the 
following viperous productions. 

1 commence with extracts from certain articles, 
understood to have been written by Professor 
Pond, of the Bangor Theological Seminary, and 
published originally on the 1st, 8th, and loth of 
April, 1852, in 

THE PURITAN RECORDER. 

u The spiritual manifestations of our times com- 



128 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

menced, I think, in Western New York ; and 
Doctors Lee and Flint, of Buffalo, assisted by two 
gentlemen by the name of Burr, have very thor- 
oughly investigated the matter, and explained the 
manner in which the mysterious noises are pro- 
duced. Mr. Burr has himself made the rappings, 
and made them so loud as to be heard by a con- 
gregation of fifteen hundred people. 

" These instances are sufficient to prove, that 
the spiritual manifestations of our times, like those 
of ancient times, are, in many instances, a sheer 
imposition. They are a vile trick, palmed off upon 
a wondering and credulous community, for the 
sake of money, or for other sinister and selfish ends. 

" If there is anything more than trick in these 
spiritual manifestations, — and I am inclined to 
think that in some instances there may be, — I 
should refer it, as in the case of the ancient wiz- 
zards, to the influence of occult natural causes, — 
perhaps electricity, or animal magnetism, or some- 
thing else, operating upon a nervous system of 
peculiar sensibility. I incline to this opinion for 
several reasons. 

" Tn the first place, if the noises and other man- 
ifestations were really the work of spirits, why 
should they not be made through one person as 
well as another ? Why should not all be mediums 
alike 1 Whereas, it is confessed that only persons 
of peculiar nervous temperament are capable of 
becoming mediums. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 129 

" Again : if the disclosures which are made are 
really from the spirit world, it might be expected 
that they would, at least, be consistent icitli them- 
selves. Whereas, it is well known that they vary 
endlessly. In numerous instances they are di- 
rectly self-contradictory. ' Some of the commu- 
nications,' says one who had been a medium, 
1 were orthodox ; others were infidel. Some would 
acknowledge the truth of the Bible ; others would 
encourage the grossest crimes.'" 

" I have now shown that a portion of the spirit- 
ual manifestations of our own times, like those of 
ancient times, is a mere deception ; and that an- 
other portion may be the result of hitherto unob- 
served natural causes, such as magnetism, electri- 
city, or something else ; placing the phenomena 
on the same footing with those of Pathetism, Biol- 
ogy, Mormonism, &/C. Indeed, I know nothing 
pertaining to these manifestations more mysterious 
tharl some of the alleged facts of Mormonism, and 
both, it is probable, are to be explained in much 
the same way. 

" And now if any are not satisfied with this 
explanation, and still insist that the agency of spir- 
its is concerned here, I reply, as in my first num- 
ber, that if any spirits are concerned, they are, 
undoubtedly, infernal spirits. It is not at all likely 
that the good spirits have anything to do with it. 
Holy angels have nobler, better employment. And 
the spirits of just men made perfect, who have 



130 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

gone to their eternal rest, and are represented as 
dwelling in the New Jerusalem above, would never 
descend to be engaged in such paltry trifling here 
below. Besides, the degraded character of many, 
who act as mediums, and the childish, silly, self- 
contradictory answers which are often given ; — 
the fact, too, that many of these answers are of an 
immoral tendency, in palpable contradiction to 
both conscience and the Bible; — also the mischief 
which the alleged spirits often perpetrate, tearing 
clothes and destroying furniture ; — all these things 
show clearly enough what kind of spirits are con- 
cerned, if indeed any are. They must be wicked 
spirits. They are undoubtedly infernal spirits, 
who, for the trial of our race, are abroad in the 
earth, ' going about, like roaring lions, seeking 
whom they may devour.' And if it be objected 
to this, that some of the answers are pious and 
good, — good in themselves and their influence, — 
I have only to reply, that Satan can be very pious 
when it will best subserve his diabolical purposes. 
He not unfrequently transforms himself into an 
angel of light.— 2 Cor. 11 : 14. 

" The Bible represents the familiar spirits of an- 
cient times as infernal spirits, liars, deceivers, 
devils, against whose influence the people of God 
were warned. And the spirits who have inter- 
course with certain persons now, — if spirits they 
be, — are undoubtedly of the same class. And I 
would not be understood to say that there can be 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 131 

no demoniacal agency here. If persons will seek 
after unlawful intercourse with the Evil One, and 
give themselves up to it, as I said before, God may 
give them up. He may permit the devils to com- 
municate with them, and through them to others, 
and so lead them captive at his will. The devils 
are always at hand where there is mischief to be 
done, and they have knowledge enough to give all 
the answers, and make all the disclosures, which 
ever have been made or will be. There is no oc- 
casion for calling in the agency of departed rela- 
tives and friends. There are other spirits who 
know more than they, and are more able and ready 
for every evil work ; and if any spirits are con- 
cerned in these transactions, it is undoubtedly the 
spirits of darkness. 

11 Having shown, as well as I am able, the na- 
ture of the communications purporting to come 
from the other world, and how they are to be ac- 
counted for, I shall next speak of the evil of them ; 
the evil of making them, consulting them, or hav- 
ing aught to do with them. 

" That they are evil and sinful, the Bible most 
unequivocally teaches. They are sternly forbid- 
den in different parts of the Old Testament ; and 
the same character is given of them in the New. 
The Apostle Paul warns us against ' giving heed 
to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;' and 
places witchcraft in the same category with idol- 
atry, murders, drunkenness, and other works of 
i2 



132 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

the flesh. 1. Tim. 4:1; Gal. 5 : 20. The writer 
of the Apocalypse does the same. ' The fearful, 
the unbelieving, the abominable, and murderers, 
and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, 
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which 
burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the sec- 
ond death. Rev. 21 : 8. 

" But it may be asked, What is the harm of the 
things which have been described 1 Wherein 
does the evil of them consist ? 

" The answer to these questions is suggested, 
in part, by what has been already said, — a part of 
what is done by the workers with familiar spirits, 
we have seen, is an imposture. It is a work of 
deception ; and deception is always evil. What 
right have I to deceive my fellow men with regard 
to the important concerns of the other world ? 
What right have I to pretend to make disclosures 
to them from that world, which I know are ficti- 
tious and deceptive 1 What right have I to take 
their time, and harrow up their feelings, and filch 
from them their money, in this way ? For any one 
to do this is a gross sin. It is a shameful sin. I do 
not say that, under our government, it is worthy 
of death, but in a state of society like that in Is- 
real, where it was necessary that the penal code 
should be stringent and severe, I wonder not at all 
that it was punished with the utmost rigors of the 
law. 

" A part of what is done by those who claim to 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 133 

have familiar spirits, we have seen, may be the re- 
sult of unknown natural causes. This is the 
most plausible and excusable view which can pos- 
sibly be taken of these practices ; and yet, even in 
this view, they are frightfully evil. They are so 
on more accounts than one. The persons who 
alone are susceptible to these natural causes are, 
generally, those of a diseased or delicate nervous 
temperament; and the effect of experimenting 
upon their nervous system is, usually, to shatter it 
the more. They become excitable, fanatical, and 
often insane. Diseases are engendered, both of 
body and mind, which lead on to the most fearful 
consequences. Only a few days ago, the papers 
gave account of a man in Barre, Mass., who had 
been much given to the rappings and other spirit- 
ual manifestations, who became, in consequence, 
a raving maniac, threatened the life of his family, 
and was committed to the lunatic asylum at Wor- 
cester. Other like instances are occurring fre- 
quently from the same cause. Almira Beazely, 
the Providence rapper, who murdered her brother 
in fulfillment of one of her own predictions, was 
cleared on the ground of her insanity. 

" But this is not the only evil of the practices 
in question when viewed as the result of natural 
causes. For the truth is, that in nearly every 
case, they are not so viewed by those who engage 
in them. They regard them as the work of spir- 
its. They are, therefore, deceived; and those who 



134 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

follow them are deceived. Both suppose that they 
are receiving utterances from the other world, 
when nothing is uttered but vain fantasies from 
their own minds and hearts. Now, such a decep- 
tion is manifestly a hurtful one. It is one full of 
danger to all concerned. To mistake one's own 
fancies for Divine revelation, and feel conscience- 
bound to obey them as such ; why, this is the very 
essence of fanaticism. It is fanaticism in its most 
frightful form. Under the influence of such an 
impression, persons may be led to perpetrate the 
greatest cruelties and the most horrid crimes, and 
vainly think that they are doing God service. 
The wretched man in Barre, of whom I just 
spoke, was led to attempt the life of his family, in 
obedience to a supposed revelation from the spirit 
world. 

" I need say but few words to show, that on the 
third mode of accounting for the strange appear- 
ances in question, viz. : that they are produced by 
demoniacal agency, they must be sinful. For who 
are those familiar spirits to whom, on supposition, 
persons give themselves up, and to whom they are 
giveu up of God? They are the spirits of dark- 
ness ; liars from the beginning ; the first and 
greatest enemies of the human race ; who go 
about as roaring lions, seeking whom they may de- 
vour. Can it be otherwise than evil, to have com- 
merce with such beings, — to receive and follow 
their suggestions, — pleasing ourselves, meanwhile, 





SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 135 

with the idea that we are conversing with departed 
friends, or receiving, it may be, revelations from 
heaven ? I can conceive of nothing more terrible 
than this ; more perilous in all its influences, both 
upon the individual and society, upon the body 
and the soul. 

" I have said that the practices which have been 
considered are of heathen origin. They originat- 
ed with the ancient heathen ; they were early 
spread over the greater part of the heathen world ; 
and they continue to pervade and curse it to the 
present time. And to show the influence of them 
in only a civil point of view, I may be allowed to 
notice a single fact. Among numerous heathen 
tribes at the present day, scarcely a calamity oc- 
curs, — a dearth, a flood, a fit of sickness, or an 
instance of death, — but some poor creature (and 
often more than one) is accused and put to death 
as being the cause of it. ' The sick man is be- 
witched ; who has bewitched him ? His death (if 
he chance to die) has been brought about by evil 
spirits; who has sent the spirits upon him?' To 
get an answer to these questions, some old hag or 
conjurer is consulted ; the cause of the mischief is 
quickly discovered ; and an innocent person is put 
to death. Probably, hundreds die every year after 
this manner among the heathen, even in this nine- 
teenth century. And the case would soon be no 
better among ourselves, if we were to go exten- 
sively and confidently into the practice of consult- 



136 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

ing with familiar spirits. The spirits would un- 
ravel all mysteries for us ; they would reveal all 
secrets ; and not a man, woman, or child would 
long be safe from their malicious accusations." 

" If any of us are capable of becoming what 
are called mediums, we had better not know it ; or 
if we know it, we had better refrain from all ex- 
periments. To tamper with such a power, is to 
tamper with an already shattered nervous system, 
the only effect of which will be to shatter it the 
more. Or it is to tamper with infernal spirits. 
It is to hold commerce with the Evil One. 

" Or if any will consent so to abuse and degrade 
themselves as to act as mediums, let no one follow 
them. Let them have their marvels and revela- 
tions all to themselves. They can tell us nothing 
which will be of the least importance to us. They 
never have told anything which was of any im- 
portance. I challenge all the workers with fami- 
liar spirits to show that a single disclosure has 
ever been made which was of the least importance 
to the world. These creatures can tell us nothing 
which we have any right to believe a moment, at 
least on their testimony. And if any do believe 
them, and feel confidence in them, they will surely 
be led astray. The Bible has warned us faithfully 
on this subject, as on almost every other where 
there is danger. * Regard not them which have 
familiar spirits, neither seek after them to be de- 
filed by them/ Giving no ' heed to seducing spir- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 137 

its, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hy- 
pocrisy.' 

" There is nothing more striking than the dif- 
ference between those representations of the future 
world which are made in the Bible, and which we 
know are true, and those which are put forth by 
the revealers of our own times. The former are 
solemn, weighty, exciting, impressive, some of them 
awfully so, others gloriously. While the latter, as 
Prof. Stowe says, are ' so uniformly and monoto- 
nously silly, that we are compelled to think, if 
these are really the spirits of the dead, in dying 
they must have lost what little of common sense 
they ever possessed. If these are actual speci- 
mens of the spiritual world, then this world, hard 
and imperfect as it is, is altogether the most re- 
spectable part of God's creation.' 

" In the Bible we have frequent accounts of 
persons who were raised from the dead, — who ac- 
tually returned from the spirit world to this. But 
they returned, uniformly, with seaied lips. In not 
a single instance did they make any disclosures. 
But our modern revealers pursue a very different 
course. They practice no reserve. They go into 
the minutest particulars, — sometimes into the most 
disgusting details, and publish, as one expresses it, 
' a penny magazine of the spirit world.' 

" The result of this investigation should then 
be, to bind us more closely to the Bible ; to lead 
us to prize it, cling to it, and follow it, as our sole 



138 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

and sufficient guide in matters pertaining to the 
future world. It is ' a lamp unto our feet, and a 
light unto our path ;' a ' light shining in a dark 
place.' In His Word, God has told us all that we 
need know respecting the spirit world. He has 
told us all that he intends we ever shall know, until 
we get there. He has told us enough to awaken 
the most lively interest, and the most earnest soli- 
citude. And what he has told us, we have on his 
own infallible authority. It is to be depended on. 
It is the word of Him who cannot lie. Let us, 
then, study his Holy Word, believe it, love it, and 
live according to it. Let us diligently prepare for 
that world on which we are soon to enter, and not 
be vainly trying to pry into its secrets, or be run- 
ning after those who can know no more of the 
subject than we do ourselves." 

ANOTHER SPECIMEN. 

This is from the Olive Branch, a Protestant 
Methodist paper, published in Boston. It is copied 
from a number dated June 19, 1852. It intro- 
duces and recommends an article from the Boston 
Pilot, a Roman Catholic paper, which, however, 
the Methodist editor abridged by leaving out a few 
unpalatable things said against Protestantism. Hav- 
ing obtained the Papist article entire, I preferred 
giving it ; tor when Herod and Pilate are made 
friends, it is interesting to see the whole extent of 
their respective amiabilities. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 139 

" The Spirit Mappings and Similar Matters. 

" We append to this editorial a long extract 
from the Boston Pilot on this subject, omitting 
such parts principally, as contain efforts to fix on 
Protestants and Protestantism the evils exposed, in 
which the Pilot editor evidently does wanton injus- 
tice, in endeavoring to fix the fault of these delu- 
sions and their concomitant enormities on Protes- 
tants or their religion. 

" The editor of that paper is too well informed 
in all history, not to know that from the days of 
Moses and his Egyptian cotemporaries such devil- 
try was common, and we do not know how much 
farther back, as history, either sacred or profane, 
doth not tell ; but kindred wickedness and fooler- 
ies were then common, and we cannot say they 
were not a part of their Pagan religion. The edi- 
tor acknowledges that severe laws were passed 
against them by God's warrant, by Moses. 

" The editor knows that similar abominations 
have often disturbed and cursed the Catholic 
Church, during various periods the last 1800 years. 
But of the rappings, etc., we would say a few 
words, and then ask the reader to peruse the Pi- 
lot's long essay. 

We have been disposed to hold all these matters 
in contempt — mesmerism, clairvoyance, pathetism, 
biology, spirit rappings, writing, etc. ; but the evils 
growing out of them have long since satisfied us 
that it is a scheme multiform in its exhibitions, at 



140 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

the head of which stands that leading angel and 
his compeers, who were expelled from heaven for 
their rebellion and wickedness, and afterwards 
seduced the ancestors of our race. The great 
points in all these exhibitions are wickedness, 
folly, and falsehood, — showing the parties to be 
servants of the devil, the father of lies. 

" Mesmeric clairvoyants never disclose any im- 
portant secret, and they and their agents have of- 
ten fallen into the hands of the agents of the law 
for lying and malicious slander. Farther, good 
mediums are always diseased in body, and labor 
under greater or lesser mental aberrations. Pa- 
thetists and biologists rank in precisely the same 
category as the mesmeric professors. As to spirit- 
rappers, writers, etc., they are even more devilish. 
They excel in degrees of wickedness. They are 
marked with ignorance, blasphemy, and lying. 
Few of them can give a sentence of good king's 
English. Miss Fox, at Cincinnati, when called 
to account for the murdered English the spirit 
used, pettishly remarked, ' You know I don't un- 
derstand English grammar.' They put Thomas 
Paine, the atheistical blasphemer, into heaven ; 
and other men, who in their life time were distin- 
guished for irreligion or infidelity, as well as 
heathen philosophers. 

" The influence of the rappings is painfully 
destructive of health and reason. Scarcely a day 
passes, in which some one of its deluded devotees 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 141 

is not committed to hospitals for the insane, or die 
by their own suicidal hands. We could fill a 
column in our paper weekly, with accounts of such 
fearful fruits of the rapping imposture. 

" With these brief remarks we close for this 
week. This, with the Pilot's editorial, will be as 
much as the general reader will care for at once. 
Don't omit the article from the Pilot because from 
the pen of a Catholic. It has some mistakes, and 
is not sufficiently definite, but is eminently sug- 
gestive to the mind who wishes to investigate an 
evil so blighting to body and soul, which brings 
misery here, and entails it in the world of the fu- 
ture, beyond the grave." 

" Spiritual Rappings. 

" We have for some time intended to speak 
about this new delusion, and we avail ourselves of 
this opportunity. 

" As we understand the matter, the pretensions 
of the rappomaniacs are these : The soul, after its 
departure from the body, lives and progresses 
through a series of spheres, or worlds, each of 
which is more perfect than the last, so that the 
soul knows and enjoys more and more, as it pro- 
gresses from sphere to sphere. These souls have 
been, for some ages, trying to communicate with 
people in this world, to tell them how happy they 
are, how watchful they are over us, and to give us, 
generally, the news from the other world, to in- 



142 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

struct and enlighten us, and to make us better and 
happier. But mortals, for the past ages, with a 
few exceptions, have not been good and wise 
enough to deserve these communications. Among 
these exceptions, they place many of the saints, 
miracle workers, and the blasphemers even enu- 
merate our Lord among them, who, they say, was 
an extraordinary mesmerist, and of a wonderfully 
susceptible organization. His body was so finely 
made, so spiritualized, that he could habitually 
converse with spirits, and learn from them many 
secrets. Some men have since been noted in this 
way, but no one in so great a degree. In these 
times, however, the barriers between the two 
worlds are being removed. Men are growing 
wiser and better, — more spiritualized, and the 
spirits, who have been for ages watching for this 
to come about, have begun to communicate freely 
with mortals. The time will come when conver- 
sation between spirits and mortals will be as com- 
mon as conversation is among living men. Rap- 
pings have been resorted to as a medium for 
exchanging ideas, but even already spirits are 
beginning to communicate in writing their ideas. 
All that need be done is, to provide paper, pen and 
ink ; to hold your pen in the proper position, and 
wait until some spirit guides your hand in tracing 
the characters. Whole books have been written 
in this way ; recently one was written by the now 
happy ghost of Tom Paine, who is at present trav- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 143 

eling in the sixth heaven, and expects soon to 
reach the seventh. Sometime hence, even sim- 
pler and more direct means of communication 
will be established. Ghosts are permitted to give 
signs of their presence already, — to move tables, 
make crockery jump from the shelves, and cause 
chairs, sofas, and other articles of furniture to hop 
about the room. Before many years, these things 
will be so common as to excite no wonder or re- 
mark. 

" Our readers, at least most of them, will hard- 
ly believe that this delusion has so spread over 
New England, and towns in other States of New 
England origin, that scarcely a village can be 
found which is not infected with it. In most 
small towns several families are possessed, the 
medium between the erratic ghosts and the crazy 
fools being, in some cases, a weak and half-witted 
woman, but in most instances a little girl, whom 
her parents and friends have prostituted to this 
wicked trade. Most of the mediums, who are 
sometimes, but not always, put into a mesmeric 
sleep before starting in search of the ghosts, be- 
come stark, staring mad, and so do many of the 
believers. Not a week passes that does not see 
some one of them commit suicide or go to the 
mad-house. All of the mediums give unequivocal 
signs of some abnormal, unnatural disturbance of 
their bodily and mental functions. Some of them 
discover indications of what looks like genuine 



144 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

possession by a devil. The evil is unquestionably 
spreading, and it will, in a few years, exhibit 
shocking results. 

" It gains ground only among Protestants, of 
course. Catholics, even the most ignorant, are in 
the habit of referring such things to the principles 
of the Catechism, and of trying them by these 
principles. So they do not, anywhere, counten- 
ance the delusion. They laugh it to scorn. The 
Catholics who are the most exposed, are persons 
who work in Protestant families, in which the dis- 
order is daily growing worse. The silly women 
and asses of men who believe in it have left off 
tormenting their Irish servants about the Church, 
confession, the Bible, and the priests, and they 
have begun to solicit them to confer with these 
ghosts, devils, or whatever they may be. As a 
general thing, the Irish girls behave nobly ; they 
laugh at the ignorance and superstition of their 
silly employers. Very few have been persuaded 
even to enter the room where the mummery is 
practiced, or to exchange compliments with the 
ghosts, much less to become mediums. Scarce 
any have fallen into this unfortunate mistake; and 
those who have, led either through excessive com- 
plaisance or curiosity, soon pitched the whole af- 
fair to the black spirit that started it. Protestant- 
ism, however, is essentially unintellectual, — su- 
perstitious. It has no principles of its own where- 
by to judge things correctly. Some of them, 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 145 

reasoning from Catholic principles, reject the de- 
lusion. A few congregations, mainly Calvinistic, 
hare set their faces against it, partly because the 
ghosts say that there is no hell, principally because 
church members leave the regular congregations 
to go a ghost hunting. Instances have come to 
our knowledge where the minister tried to preach 
it down, but his congregation, composed mainly 
of rappomaniacs, told him that, as a Protestant 
minister, he had no business to preach against any 
theory or practice which they approved, and they 
warned him to seek his bread and butter (he didn't 
get much bread, and the butter wasn't very good) 
elsewhere. 

" It must not be supposed that this delusion is 
a new thing. Mesmerism and communication 
with spirits were things well known to the Indians, 
Chinese, Egyptians, and Chaldeans. Among the 
many evidences of the relapse of Protestantism 
into gross Paganism, this, afforded by rappomania, 
is significant, inasmuch as it shows that Protest- 
ants are content to point, as a proof of their en- 
lightened progress, to their growing belief in one 
of the worst among the old, worn out, cast off, 
detected superstitions of ancient Paganism. The 
fact that mesmerizers, biologists, rappomaniacs, 
ghost hunters, and such characters, were common 
in early times, is sufficiently plain from Scripture. 
God, in several places, commands them to be put 
to death. Saul was one of the most energetic and 



146 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

summary interpreters of this law, so that, towards 
the close of his reign, there was but one woman 
who had a divining spirit, {women are generally 
used by the devil and his agents for this purpose,) 
there was but one medium, as we would now say, 
and this was the Witch of Endor, who raised up 
for Saul what was either the spirit of Samuel, or 
an evil spirit in the shape of the prophet. In the 
apostolic times, these mediums were common, as 
appears from the account given by St. Luke of 
Simon Magus and of Elymas, who were evidently 
mesmerizers and biologists, as well as slaves of 
Satan. Sunderland, Fiske, and other biologists 
repeat some of the practices of those ancient rep- 
robates, all of whom were visibly punished by 
God. One account is curious. It is found in 
Acts, ch. xvi. A certain girl, a medium, who had 
a pythonical spirit, met the Apostle Paul and his 
companion, Silas. The girl brought to her mas- 
ters much gain by divining, precisely as happens 
in our age of the revival of many such exploded 
humbugs. It seems that the girl, as often as she 
saw the holy men, not only was unable to tell any 
fortunes, but she was forced by an invisible power 
to confess God and His Christ. Something simi- 
lar has happened in circles where the medium was 
busily at work talking with the real or supposed 
ghosts, the accidental entrance of a baptised per- 
son, — a Catholic, — made the spirit dumb. This 
has occurred several times within our knowledge. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 147 

It furthermore appears that the spirit which pos- 
sessed this girl was a real devil, for Paul cast it 
out, whereupon her masters, finding that she could 
tell no more fortunes, and that their business was 
ruined, caused the apostles to be whipped and im- 
prisoned. 

" Some traces of these infernal doings are found 
in later times. It would be a long story, and we 
have no inclination here to tell it. Some of the 
persons, Rosicrucians and others, who were sup- 
posed, not only popularly, but by grave men, to be 
magicians, were unquestionably masters in biol- 
ogy, mesmerism, and rappomania. Scotland, Ger- 
many, and Scandinavia had some skillful profes- 
sors. It is not surprising, for these unholy arts 
have probably never been lost in the East. It is 
quite possible that some of the wonderful juggle- 
ries of the Indian tricksters, accounts of which 
reach us from time to time, and which look like 
impossibilities, notwithstanding the respectable 
authorities which sometimes vouch for them, are 
mere appearances, foisted upon a whole company 
of spectators, by the Indian biologists, very much 
as a Boston biologist will apparently bejuggle the 
senses of persons who submit themselves to his in- 
fluence. The Germans have long been familiar 
with a mischievous devil called the Polter giest, 
whose delight it appears to be to enter houses, and 
turn everything upside down, doing more mischief 
in an hour than a thousand monkeys would do in a 
j2 



148 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

day. It is not well to listen to these things, but 
really, some respectable witnesses have testified 
that this same monkey ghost has troubled seven 1 
families in England and America within the few 
last years. 

" Now, there is no doubt whatever, but that rap- 
pomania is, to a certain extent, a humbug, like 
phrenology, mesmerism, biology, etherology, elec- 
trical psychology, and other kindred ologies. Cer- 
tainly, all of them afford facts which are worth 
the serious notice of metaphysicians. They may 
occasion the revival of a dispute, which raged four 
hundred years ago, as to whether the old distinc- 
tion of spiritus, anima et corpus, — spirit, soul and 
body, a trinity which is unity in man, be not bet- 
ter than the dualism which, since Descartes, has 
been received in the schools. But these ologies 
afford the means of getting bread and butter, and 
so, lazy charlatans profess to be phrenologists, 
biologists, and so on. Ghosts are raised for the 
moderate charge of twenty-five cents, and, after 
hearing what ghost No. 1 has to say, rap, or write, 
for another twenty-five cents one can get another, 
or, perhaps, the same ghost to contradict all that 
was said, rapped, or written by ghost No. 1. 
Yankees who are capable of making wooden 
seeds, vegetables, hams, and dollar clocks, could 
not fail to perceive the peculiar money coining 
facilities afforded by the ologies, ghostology, or 
rappomania included. Accordingly, the country 



SPlfclT MANIFESTATION'S. 149 



swarms with mediums. There are so many of 
them that the trade has become common, and 
therefore less lucrative. Some persons tried, a 
few months since, to get up an excitement, and to 
realize a little money by exposing the humbug, 
but they were unsuccessful, as lecturers in Pro- 
testant communities, on purely Protestant hum- 
bugs must be. Meanwhile it is certain that, in 
some cases, the raps, or noises, supposed to have 
been made by uneasy ghosts, were made by ma- 
chinery, or by the toes, knee joints, or hands of 
the mediums. You see the fools who sit round 
a table, with their hands spread upon it, are easily 
duped, — will believe anything but the truth, and 
are particularly indisposed to detect imposture. 
A icriting medium will produce a copy of verses, 
say that Byron's ghost made her write it, and everv 
Protestant of them will protest that it is the very 
work of his Byronical ghostship. 

" Yet, making due allowances, it is a question 
whether something more serious than mere jug- 
glery be not at the bottom of this rappomania. 
We have thought, read, seen, and heard somewhat 
about it, and our opinion is, that the affair is not 
pure, undiluted imposture. Amidst the mass of 
trash, certain traces of an Intelligence that is not 
human are tolerably clear. We have not space to 
repeat the facts which have forced upon us this 
conclusion, and it would be scarcely worth while 
to refer to them, at any rate. 



150 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

" That a communication can be established be- 
tween spirits and mortals is certain, of course. 
The holy scriptures testify that such communica- 
tions were common, and, at the latest period men- 
tioned in the sacred writings, they were as com- 
mon as they ever were. Ecclesiastical history, to 
say nothing of what are sometimes called legends, 
show that such communications have been made 
in every century. And it appears that the com- 
munications recorded in the aforesaid writings 
were similar to those which are troubling modern 
Gentilism, — Protestantism now. Profane history 
occasionally notices them. Possession by devils, 
too, is a fact proved from scripture, from ecclesi- 
astical history, and from the circumstance that 
exorcists are ordained in the church. The possi- 
bility, therefore, that these manifestations are, to 
a certain extent, real, and made by invisible be- 
ings, is scarcely questionable. What are those 
invisible beings. 

" If anything, they are devils, or damned spir- 
its. Several considerations favor this conclusion ; 
we will briefly refer to them. I. The ghosts take es- 
pecial delight in lying. They are so notorious for 
this, that even Protestant investigators testify strong- 
ly to the fact that the ghosts habitually lie. II. As 
we have already remarked, the presence of a bap- 
tized person, in good faith, has proved sufficient 
to strike the ghosts dumb. III. When the rappo- 
maniacs who happen to be ' pious church mem- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 151 

hers/ ask to communicate with such persons as 
the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, or saints who 
assuredly died in Christ, the invariable answer is, 
that those persons belong to a different w r orld, and 
cannot, for the present, be reached, or communi- 
cated with. IV. The proceedings of the rappo- 
maniacs and of the ghosts are very like what is 
recorded in Scripture and in history of magicians, 
wizzards, and devils or damned spirits. V. The 
effects of rappomania on the spirit are, atheism, 
negation of revealed religion. VI. Its effects on 
the soul are, fanaticism^ madness, idiocy. VII. 
The effects on the body are, an abnormal, unnat- 
ural state of the organs, bodily functions, and what 
looks very like possession by devils. VIII. Some 
of the pranks enacted, and communications made, 
are such as could proceed from no human source. 
IX. Rappomania is the latest development of Pro- 
testantism, — an ism wonderfully pregnant with 
negatives, by the way. No wonder ; like begets 
like, asses do not horses, — negation begets nega- 
tion. But returnons to our muitous, — our ghosts. 
" Some people think that hell is in the centre 
of the earth, — that it is a hot place, undoubtedly a 
place, prison, or pit where the damned spirits are 
confined, ^pace is a predicate with which spirits 
have no concern. But aside from all this, it is 
certain that spirits, good and bad, are effectually 
present to the human soul. Good spirits, — 
angels, are present to help, guide, and comfort us. 



152 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

Evil spirits are present to hinder, mislead, and 
torment us. Thus much we know from the cat- 
echism, Scripture, and experience. We are sur- 
rounded, as Paul says, by a cloud of witnesses. 
The angels who guard us, although they are pres- 
ent to us, enjoy the beatific vision, — repose in 
the bosom of God. The devils who tempt us, 
although really, and sometimes very disagreeably 
present to us, are deprived of the beatific vision, — 
are in torment, — are in hell, wherever or whatever 
that may be. Their object is to make us like to 
themselves, it is their revenge against Him of 
Whom they are eternally deprived. Who made 
us like Him, and gave us the means for loving 
Him, serving Him, and being happy with Him 
forever. 

" It is quite possible, then, that these pretended 
communications between spirits and men are the 
work of devils. It is a work which suits them, 
and which they have a positive interest in doing. 
Their labor is directed to the destruction of the 
bodies and of the souls of men, and of all the 
developments of Protestantism, none is so fatal to 
soul and body as this rappomania. 

" It is quite easy to see that Catholics cannot 
countenance it all. As might be expected, they 
do not. Grant that it is wholly a humbug, they 
are not accustomed to tolerate humbugs, — they 
leave that to ignorant and superstitious Protestant- 
ism. But there is a possibility that, with all tto 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 153 

humbug, there may be a devilish agency at work 
in the matter ; and, in this view of the ease, no 
Catholic can have in it, part or lot. Hence we 
counsel our readers to avoid it, to spurn it, with- 
out forgetting to laugh at it. As far as possible, 
shun the houses and the company of the hum- 
bugged unfortunates, the knaves, or the demoniacs 
who practice it. If circumstances compel you to 
live with them, a hearty prayer and a plentiful sup- 
ply of holy water will meet the necessities of the 
case. 

" What the devil means by this new develop- 
ment of his wickedness is not for us to say, — per- 
haps the rappomaniacs can tell. A few years will 
solve the problem, and Catholics can afford to wait 
any number of years. Perhaps the great day of 
days is not many centuries distant, — certainly the 
last article of the creed, Everlasting Life, is de- 
nied by the current heresy of the age, — perhaps 
true miracles are again to be common, and Ifai 
Enemy is preoccupying the ground, as he has done 
often. Assuredly, the civilized world is becoming 
unbaptized, and cases of possession may easily 
become once more frequent. However this may 
be, we can all rest securely in the Promise that 
no artifice of the devil can deceive them who hear 
the Church.' 5 

ANOTHER SPECIMEN. 

This is from the Gospel Banner, a Universalist 



154 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

paper, published in Augusta, Me. It is the com- 
munication of a correspondent whose signature is 
" K," copied from a number of the Banner bear- 
ing date May 22, 1852. I have no knowledge 
who " K" is, nor how far the editor is implicated 
as an endorser of his lucubrations. The article 
speaks for itself. 

" Intercourse with the Departed. 

" While visiting a bookstore the other day, we 
noticed that the counter was handsomely sprinkled 
with publications illustrating, defining, and reveal- 
ing the wonders of Mesmerism, Biology, Psychol- 
ogy, Spirituality, Electriology, &/C., from the 
" Great Harmonia," down to the most gawky 
pamphlet in a yellow jacket ; some written by in- 
spiration, some by second sight, some by spirits 
wriggling a submissive man's hand, and some by 
grave, almost majestic historians. We hear also, 
that, in many parts of the country, " wonderful 
works" are performed, entirely eclipsing the old 
Judean miracles, both in number and strangeness. 
The dead, by a super-Endoric power, are hourly 
summoned back to earth, by men, women and 
children, and compelled to open the arcana of the 
seventh heaven, to reveal the past and the future, 
to imitate all kinds of earthly noises, move tables, 
tip over chairs, and beat a tattoo on the chimney 
piece ; all for twenty-five cents, paid to the pious 
medium. The nervous are frightened, the credu- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 155 

lous are convinced, and the shallow philosopher is 
driven to his wits' end for explanations. Love- 
lorn damsels have their dresses stripped to tatters 
on their very persons, by wicked spirit-claws, and 
nice young men, by biological enchantment, are 
caused, in public, to crow like a rooster and gob- 
ble like a turkey. 

" What is the meaning of all these things ? 
Has the grave really given up its awful mystery, or 
is the Old Serpent loosed for a little season? Has 
electricity been fairly bitted and brought into com- 
mon pack-horse drudgery, or does the love of 
money lie at the root of this evil ? Have multi- 
tudes conspired to deceive us by trickery, or are 
the mediums deceived ? Has Salem withcraft 
come again, or the credulity of ignorance settled 
down upon us? Shall we be silent, or speak our 
condemnation ? 

" Whatever this spiritual clatter may be, or 
whatever we may think of it, one fact is very 
prominently obvious, viz.^ it is producing evil and 
misery, and these only. Anxiety, nervous fear, 
insanity, neglect of religious duties, contempt of 
the Bible, and loss of reverence for the high and 
holy, are the natural and usual results. We think, 
therefore, that it is time to speak, and necessary 
to speak strongly ; and we are glad to see in the 
May number of Harper's popular Magazine a 
withering rebuke of the impious farce, and we 



156 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

hope, Br. Drew, if you can find room, that you 
will republish that article, entire, in the Banner. 

" We feel absolutely wolfish about it. It is an 
insult to us who have taken the Bible for our rule 
of faith and conduct, to ask us to throw aside the 
good Book and be instructed by rappings. Just 
as if the word of God by Jesus Christ was not 
enough ; or rather, just as if it were false, and the 
departed had not entered into rest ! Should all 
the mediums in the world kneel in a circle around 
us, lay all their books at our feet, set the whole 
battery of spiritual manifestation in play, and amid 
its wired rattle, solemnly declare under oath that 
spirits made the noises, we could no more believe 
it than if they swore that the moon was a great 
green cheese, mottled with tanzy juice. How 
could we ? All their pretended revelations which 
we can test are contradictory or false ; and what 
we cannot test, such as the number of Heavens, 
and the character of the inhabitants of the stellar 
and spirit worlds, needs other proof than the ill- 
heard snapping of ghosts' fingers. 

" Neither should we believe, if the same potent 
circle of magic told us that the manifestations 
were produced by electricity, in any form ; first, 
because the most of them know as little about 
electricity as Harold Skimpole about business ; 
gecondly, we know as little as they ; and thirdly, 
all the phenomena may be produced by legerde- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 157 

main and collusion, in fifty different ways. We 
have tried our hand at the rappings, and can, with- 
out help, by a variety of little means, astonish and 
deceive a room full. 

" If asked how we account for the noises, our 
answer is, we don't try to account for them. We 
would as soon task ourselves to explain the tricks 
of the * Grand Fakir/ or unravel the mysteries of 
eastern jugglery. The how is unworthy our no- 
tice ; the ichy is plain enough, viz., ' the love of 
money is the root of all evil ;' and a love of noto- 
riety makes the root and stalk grow prodigiously. 
A pretty large vocation, indeed, for a sensible per- 
son who has anything else to do, or even a shingle 
to whittle, to be dodging. ' round the house and 
round the house, and in my lady's chamber,' to 
find out what made a little snapping noise, or rum- 
bled like a fairy's coffee mill ? 

" ' Respectable and candid persons tell us that 
it is not trickery. 1 Well, they will have to con- 
tinue to tell us so some time before we believe 
them. Possibly the mediums are not all rogues. 
Some may be deceived by the trembling of their 
own nerves or the tricks of others, and yet be 
honest. It is not our business to try to prove that 
Mr. Hammond did not will to write a book. He 
may prove, if he can, that his hand was guided by 
invisible beings ; but to convince us, something 
more than his assertion is necessary, though he 
should furnish us with a certificate of his good, 



158 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

moral character, signed by the whole western edi- 
torial corps. 

" The truth is, most people love the marvelous, 
and would rather help than hinder a mysterious 
humbug. We recollect seeing, several years ago, 
a whole village converted to believers in Mesmer- 
ism by the exhibition of a boy, who, it was after- 
wards found out, was not mesmerized, but was 
skilled in deception. So people are willing to be 
converted to believe in intercourse with the de- 
parted. 

" Our advice to Christians is, to study the Bible, 
and strive to hold communion with God, if they 
wish for any further information about the spirit 
world. You will not be satisfied if you hear the 
rapping, or read the marvelous books written by 
the new process. Let the atrocious foolery alone, 
or if you consult the rappers at all, ask for the 
spirit of God to rap, and you shall find the blas- 
phemous request will be answered. K." 

BRIEF COMMENTS. 

The intelligent and candid reader will perceive 
in the foregoing specimens, that although the au- 
thors quoted happen to belong to four different 
sects bitterly hostile to each other, yet they are all 
animated by the same spirit. As sectarian relig- 
ionists, the Calvinist, the Methodist, the Papist, 
and the Universalist are at war with each other ; 
but as individuals, they feel and speak alike, in 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 159 

their common hatred of these Spirit Manifesta- 
tions. It is evident that all four of them belong 
to one sphere of minds, — that the same controlling 
spirit inspires them. What are the prominent 
characteristics of this spirit 1 

1. Ignorance. Neither of these men even pre- 
tend to have given the phenomena against which 
they rail a thorough personal investigation. Not 
they. It is beneath their dignity to do any such 
thing. They have heard, or read, or surmised 
enough about the matter, to judge of its demerits ; 
merits it has none. Hence the utter incoherence 
of their statements and reasonings. It is a hum- 
bug ; it is the artificial cracking of knee and toe 
joints ; it has been detected, exposed, and imi- 
tated ; it is a mere money-making contrivance ; it 
is partly a humbug and partly a strange reality ; it 
is of a Mesmeric nature, a psychological perform- 
ance ; it is a silly piece of nonsense, fit only to be 
laughed at and despised; it is a dreadful thing; 
many devils have undoubtedly broken loose, and 
the great Devil himself must be in it. It is noth- 
ing ; it is something ; it is anything ; it is a little 
of everything human and infernal ; but it is not 
what it purports to be — that is certain ! It is 
ridiculous ; it is horrible ; shut your eyes, stop 
your ears, and run, or the Devil will catch you ! 
Such is the wisdom of ignorance. 

2. Self-conceit, pride, arrogance, and insolence. 
Mark the air, the tone, the expression, the entire 



160 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

import and bearing of these productions. Do they 
indicate the humility of a child, the meekness of 
a self-subdued heart, the candor of an honest 
seeker after truth, the modesty of a mind that 
knows its own lack of knowledge, the generous 
consideration and magnanimity of a true Christian 
philosopher ? Nothing of the kind. They are sat- 
urated with a mingled compound of bigotry, scorn, 
and contempt. Some portions are unmitigated 
religious blackguardism, which is the worst kind 
of that ism. The authors will one day see and 
deplore their errors. 

3. Falsehood and misrepresentation. Every 
one who has kept himself decently informed on 
the subject, knows that these specimens contain 
most reckless falsehood and misrepresentation. 
The Olive Branch is shameless enough to make 
the following assertion : — " Scarcely a day passes, 
in which some one of its deluded devotees is not 
committed to hospitals for the insane, or die by 
their own suicidal hands. We could fill a column 
in our paper weekly, with accounts of such fearful 
fruits of the rapping imposture." What was Fal- 
staff's story about the " fifty men in buckram," 
compared with such a monstrosity as this ? The 
follies and abuses, here and there incidental to a 
belief in Spirit Manifestations, are deplorable 
enough, undoubtedly. But are they any more so 
than those of religionism, love attachments, and 
money speculations ? This horrible " Rappoma- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 161 

nia" has been extending itself these four or five 
years. It is possible that all these denunciators, 
by scouring the continent, might find half a dozen 
well authenticated cases of insanity, and perhaps 
three or four of suicide, traceable to the abuses 
admitted. I doubt their being able to find, through 
the whole period, so many as even this small num- 
ber. I mean of fairly authenticated cases — not 
mere hearsay ones. Yet they would have the 
world believe, that cases of the kind are happen- 
ing daily, marked by the most tragical concomi- 
tants ! And this is only a single sample of the 
many falsehoods, misrepresentations, and exaggera- 
tions with which their articles abound. 

4. Cruelty and persecution. Mark the cold 
blooded intimations of what these opposers would 
do with the wicked " rappomaniacs," if they had 
the power of their ancestors. Hanging and burn- 
ing would presently come into fashion again, and 
it would only be doing God service to kill us off 
by the score. Oh, murderous and execrable spir- 
it ! And yet, such men presume to call themselves 
disciples of Jesus Christ ! They boast of their 
extraordinary veneration for that Bible, whose holy 
Prophets, Messiah, and Apostles were slandered, 
falsely accused, and persecuted to death by minds 
of the same general character with their own. 
Well may the rebuke of Jesus be applied to 
them : — " Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, 
hypocrites ! because ye build the tombs of the 



162 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the right- 
eous ; and say, If we had been in the days of our 
fathers, we would not have been partakers with 
them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore, ye 
be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the child- 
ren of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up 
the measure of your fathers." Matt, xxiii : 29-32. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 163 



CHAPTER X. 

Advice to believers and friends — 1. Against yield- 
ing up reason, fyc. — 2. Against reaching after 
too much — 3. Against disorderly methods of 
treating the Manifestations — 4. Against feeling 
more obliged to receive what comes from de- 
parted spirits, than what comes from undeparted 
ones — 5. Against disregarding the imperfec- 
tions of Media. 

I cannot conclude this part of my work without 
a chapter of advice to believers and friends. If 
the Position, Theory, and Views herein before 
expounded are sound, it is plain that conversing 
with spirits, and dealing with these Manifestations, 
is a serious business, never to be trifled with. 
To opposers, enough has been said. I would now 
guard friends against abuses and dangers. 

1. You are in danger of yielding up the exer- 
cise of your own reason, judgment, and conscience 
implicitly to another. You must do no such thing. 
It would be a folly and a sin. No truly good and 
wise mind will exact it. The Infinite Paternal 
Mind does not. He ever respects the constituted 
moral nature of his creatures. He says, " Come, 
let us reason together/ 5 and addresses Himself to 
the understanding, the conscience, and the affec- 
k2 



164 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



tional sentiment of each soul. If any spirit in the 
flesh, or any one purporting to come from the 
world of departed spirits, demand that you surren- 
der your powers and faculties to his control, stand 
upon your own proper responsibility, insist that he 
prove himself worthy of your confidence, and that 
he give you good reasons for what he teaches, or 
requires. If he ask you to stultify your under- 
standing, or to violate the great moral law, or to 
surrender your judgment to his without a reason, 
you may know that he is too low a spirit to elevate 
and guide you. The moment you surrender up 
these fundamentals of your rational and moral na- 
ture to the mere assumption and dictation of 
another mind, you are befooled and enslaved. Be 
sure, then, that you maintain the integrity of your 
own reason, conscience, and spirit-hood. I do not 
mean that you should be proud, and refuse to 
learn ; nor that you should be willful, and rebel 
against the laws of your being; nor that you 
should be distrustful, and withhold deserved confi- 
dence. Neither reason, nor conscience, nor self- 
respect will sanction such perverseness. All the 
spirits, who have given good evidence of their 
reliability in these latter-day Manifestations, have 
reiterated substantially this very advice. Let all 
Media heed it. Let all believers and inquirers 
respect it. 

2. You are in danger of desiring, reaching af- 
ter, and expecting too much in these Manifesta- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 165 

tions. You would be a Medium ; you would see 
and converse with spirits ; you would have extra- 
ordinary revelations; you would behold miracles. 
Are you sure all this would be best for you ? Are 
you in a fit state of body, mind, or morals to re- 
ceive all this, and to make a wise use of it? Not 
one of you in a hundred. You ask for more 
responsibility than you can bear. Be humble ; be 
reverent; be contented with what may be dis- 
pensed to you ; be patient and hopeful ; but be 
not presumptuous. Consider your physical weak- 
ness, and how little you can endure of nervous 
excitement. Consider your mental ^infirmity, and 
how ill prepared you are to converse discreetly 
with such subtle spirits as might approach you. 
Consider your moral and spiritual lowness, and 
whether you will not be likely to draw around you 
impure, unwise and unwelcome spirits. Consider 
how liable you are to be misled by your own imag- 
ination; to mistake influences from spirits in the 
flesh for those out of it ; and to be imposed on by 
low spirits. Consider whether you are any where 
near what you ought to be, in yourself, toward 
God, and with respect to your fellow men. 
All these things are to be considered. 

" Fools rush in where angels dare not tread." 

Before we impatiently desire, reach after, and ex- 
pect familiar intercourse with a world for which 
most of us are yet so unripe, we ought to count 



166 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

the cost. We ought to consider what we are as- 
piring after, and whether if we should be indulged, 
we could endure it. Friends, do not disregard 
this counsel. Do not run too fast. Do not make 
haste in a matter where moderation, calmness, and 
patience are indispensable virtues. Great bless- 
ings will come from these Manifestations, if folly, 
rashness, and presumption be not encouraged to 
abuse them. There is no need of one getting 
sick, or infatuated, or insane; if we will but try 
to do all things in the Love and Wisdom of God. 
Why should we act otherwise, to our own injury, 
to the reproach of a great cause, and to the grati- 
fication of scornful enemies] I call on all who 
appreciate the value of this advice, to cooperate 
with me in commending it to universal observance. 
In doing so, let no one fear that genuine and be- 
neficent Spirit Manifestations will be retarded. 
Nothing will be lost to the sincere seeker ; but 
much will be gained. 

3. You are in danger from disorderly, irregular, 
and improper methods of treating the Manifesta- 
tions. There must be more seriousness, deliber- 
ateness, serenity, order, and harmony. There 
must be more true religiousness of heart and de- 
portment ; not cant religiousness, not artificial so- 
lemnity, not austere formalism ; but true prayer- 
fulness of spirit, unaffected piety to God, sincere 
love of truth, and cheerful good will to man. 
These should characterize all your spirit meetings^ 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 167 

or sittings. Those meetings should be held at 
regular intervals. They should consist of harmo- 
nious believers, with such candid inquirers as may 
desire to attend. The company should not be too 
numerous; not more than ten or twelve persons, 
unless very favorably situated and associated. They 
should not be held too frequently ; never oftener 
than once or twice a week. They should not be 
continued too long ; not over an hour and a half, 
or two hours. They should be opened with se- 
rene silence, meditation, interior prayer, and the 
singing of appropriate hymns. Nothing disorderly, 
indecorous, or disputatious should be allowed in 
the circle. They should be closed in quietude, 
with grateful veneration to the Father of spirits. 
If all this regularity and desirable order cannot 
be immediately observed, let it be approximated as 
nearly as circumstances will permit. If civil 
skeptics wish to test and criticise the phenomena, 
let them be accommodated, to any reasonable ex- 
tent, by special sittings. With uncivil, ill-man- 
nered ones, have nothing to do. If you get 
caught with such, dismiss them at once. Do this 
civilly, but promptly and decidedly. If the black- 
guards will not consider themselves dismissed, re- 
tire quietly, and leave them to glory in their own 
shame. Bandy no unfriendly words with them. 
Debate is of no use with such characters. Let 
them go to their own company. 

When we reflect for a moment on the manner 



168 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

in which these Manifestations have been too gen- 
erally treated, we can only wonder that the conse- 
quences have been endurable. Some one was 
discovered to be a Medium. Ignorant, inexpe- 
rienced, half-credulous, half-skeptical, fearful and 
yet presumptuous, partial, impassive, and altogether 
imperfect as the Medium might be, the sittings 
commenced, and were repeated, day and night, 
without regard to health, reason, or propriety. 
The neighbors rushed in, and all sorts of people, 
far and near, demanded audience at their conve- 
nience. Faith and skepticism, refinement and 
boorishness, respect and contempt, good sense and 
nonsense, Phariseeism and Sadduceeism, were all 
represented in the medley of critics and specta- 
tors. One believed, another sneered, a third 
wept, a fourth quizzed, a fifth hunted for the ma- 
chinery, a sixth knew the Medium made it all, and 
the seventh ran out of the room, muttering, " It is 
the Devil, it is the Devil t" Meantime reports 
flew abroad among the outsiders, and set in mo- 
tion the whole chaos of ignorance, credulity, 
superstition, prejudice, skepticism, religionism, 
and sensualistic opinionism, till " confusion worse 
confounded" seemed to ensue. Hence the Baby- 
lonish clamor which is ringing from the press, and 
even from the pulpit. That so few have been 
crazed, by all this disorder and jargon, is indeed a 
wonder among winders. But it is time that be- 
lievers should u come to order," and leave their 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 169 

opposers to act and answer for themselves. If 
they will be ignorant, let them be ignorant. If 
they choose to act the fool or the knave, let thera 
play their part by themselves, on their own stage, 
without your help. Abstain from everything which 
can cause mischief or just reproach. 

4. You are in danger of feeling obliged to re- 
ceive everything which comes from departed spir- 
its as true, right and proper, and treating it accor- 
dingly. You must not feel thus. You are no 
more obliged to receive a tenet, or an opinion, or 
a statement, or a prediction, or a promise, or a 
prescription of duty, or a direction how to act in 
a given case, from a departed spirit, than from 
an w/zdeparted one. Are we not all spirits ? Have 
we not all a common nature 1 Do not all spirits 
differ in degrees of wisdom and goodness ? Are 
we not all subjects of the same fundamental spir- 
itual and moral laws ? Must, not each answer for 
himself? Is it not probable that millions of de- 
parted spirits are lower than the wisest wwdeparted 
ones? Away with that senseless old error, the 
groundless superstition, that departed spirits neces- 
sarily know all things. It is not so. They are 
neither omniscient, nor all-perfect. They differ 
from each other, even more widely than spirits in 
the flesh ; because, though none may be lower, 
many must be incomparably higher in wisdom and 
goodness. Therefore we are not to believe every 
spirit infallible, but to " try the spirits." If what 



170 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

they communicate as true, right, or proper, com- 
mend itself to our highest conceptions of the true, 
the right, and the proper, then of course we shall 
receive it. If it contradict or modify essentially 
our preconceived ideas and convictions, then let us 
demand the reasons, and weigh them candidly. 
If those reasonings are convincing, let us not resist 
them through pride, prejudice, or worldly interest. 
But if that is communicated for truth which is 
per se contrary to known truth, or contrary to the 
fundamental moral law, or contrary to absolute 
propriety; or if to our highest understanding and 
conscience it seem thus contrary, and no sufficient 
reason be offered to make it seem otherwise, we 
must treat it just as we should feel bound to do, had 
it come from spirits still dwelling with us in the 
flesh. Not Gabriel himself should be reverenced 
enough to make us swerve from this rule. Should 
one bearing his exalted name undertake to teach 
us that darkness is light, that matter is spirit, that 
twice ten make five, that murder is sometimes 
justifiable, that adultery is purity, that lying in a 
good cause is excusable, that revenge is Godlike, 
that injury is the dictate of holy love, that noto- 
riously indecent and ridiculous conduct is proper, 
foe, then we may know that he is a deceiver. 
How? " By their fruits shall ye know them?" 
This is a rule applicable to all spirits, departed as 
well as wwdeparted. There are some truths, some 
moral principles, and some duties, which are set- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 171 

tied — forever unalterably established. Neither 
men nor angels can abrogate them. To these we 
must adhere, come what may. Therefore, my 
earnest counsel to all our friends is, never feel 
obliged to believe or obey anything purporting to 
come from departed spirits, which you would re- 
gard as essentially false, unreasonable, wicked, or 
improper, had it come from mortal men. If you 
disregard this advice under any pretext whatsoever, 
you will soon exhibit a weakness and folly which 
must disgrace this cause, and draw you into a laby- 
rinth of most deplorable evils. All wise and good 
spirits concur with me, I am sure, in this friendly 
warning. I know how difficult it is, especially for 
a newly developed, or a very confiding Medium, 
to distrust a spirit who comes in the name of a 
dear departed friend, or of some venerated person, 
illustrious among the departed, even though there 
be good reasons. Such super-mortal 'demonstra- 
tions are made, such words communicated, such 
promises held out, such appeals urged, and such 
assurances given of wonderful, forthcoming man- 
ifestations and results, that it seems almost wicked 
to doubt, question, or hesitate. Nevertheless, it 
must be done to a reasonable and just extent, or 
there is no security against delusion. Truly wise 
and good spirits will not object. All such know 
the necessity we are under to maintain our inde- 
pendence of judgment and moral responsibility. 
It is only pretenders, impostors, egotists, and sei£ 



17*2 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

seekers, whether spirits in or out of the flesh, that 
insist on our yielding ourselves up implicitly to 
their influence, guidance, and control. Whoever 
urges us on to such extremities, may justly be sus- 
pected as unworthy of our confidence. Let us 
remember, that if anything great is to be garnered 
up from the fields of human existence, it is only 
to be done by proving all things, and holding fast 
that which is good. Let us consider this to be 
our duty and privilege, just as much in respect to 
what purports to come from the world of departed 
spirits, as what appertains to our own sphere of 
flesh and blood. Then, reposing calmly in the 
bosom of our Heavenly Father, we need fear no 
evil. 

5. You are in danger of not making allowance 
enough for the imperfections of Media, and for 
their mental peculiarities. Even the believers in 
the plenary inspiration of the Bible, who contend 
that holy men spoke and wrote precisely as they 
were " moved by the Holy Ghost," confess that the 
peculiarities of all the prophets and apostles are 
distinguishable in the books which bear their re- 
spective names. Isaiah and Daniel, Paul and 
James, it is alleged, were Media through whom 
the Holy Spirit spake and wrote. But still there 
is the same difference in what came through them, 
as in the men. Even the Holy Ghost could not 
or would not write through those different Media, 
without allowing their personal mentality to pecu- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 173 

liarize what was written. If created spirits move 
and speak, or write through the Media for these 
Manifestations, how much more likely is it that 
their productions must be affected by each one's 
mental and spiritual peculiarities ? If the Medium 
were passive and transparent in the highest degree, 
those peculiarities would slightly impress them- 
selves on what came in close contact with them. 
Yet we have very few Media so unexceptionable 
as this. The majority are quite partial and im- 
perfect. Wise and good spirits cannot communi- 
cate through them without more or less confusion 
of ideas. Opposers are ready to class all Media 
together, however partial, crude, low, or imper- 
fect. This suits their purpose well. Their argu- 
ment thrives on indiscrimination. Shall believers 
fall into the same error at the other extreme ? 
You must guard against it. The unthinking will 
say, a medium is a medium, regardless of all dif- 
ferences. This will not do. You must not take 
the communications made through them without 
some discount. Inquire how long the person has 
been a Medium 1 If only a few days, the commu- 
nicatious need proportionate allowance ; for even 
the best Media require time to be disciplined and 
matured. The immature Medium is often self- 
biased, and not unfrequently affected by psycho- 
logical influences proceeding from minds around. 
Inquire further, whether the Medium is a strong 
and clear one, or a feeble and confused one. In- 



174 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

quire whether the Medium has any marked mental 
or moral peculiarities, any idiosyncrasies, any 
fixed habits of thinking, or ruling tendencies. 
Judge what quality and grade of spirits would 
most sympathetically consort with the Medium. 
All these things are to be considered, and some 
allowances to be made accordingly. The commu- 
nications may not be essentially vitiated by the im- 
perfections and peculiarities of the Medium, but 
most, if not all of them, will be somewhat tinc- 
tured, colored, or affected. It is your privilege 
and your duty to consider these circumstantials, 
and to make reasonable allowance for them. Be 
not a icholesale believer, nor a wholesale doubter, 
nor a wholesale disposer of spirit communications. 
Be discriminating ; be truthful and just ; be wise. 
Shun all extremes, and all unreasonable conclu- 
sions. Proclaim nothing, endorse nothing, accept 
nothing, as from the world of departed spirits, 
which in the full exercise of enlightened reason 
you cannot confidently defend as such. This is 
my ground. I advise you to make it yours. 
There is enough of glorious and blessed reveal- 
ment in these Manifestations to rejoice in and be 
thankful for, without retaining anything that is 
spurious or equivocal. And the signs of the times 
are auspicious of a hastening future, when the 
present twilight dawnings of spiritual communica- 
tion will sublime into the full effulgence of day. 
May the waiting and anxious expectants of that 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 175 

day do nothing to retard its advance, or to dim 
its morning sky with a single unpropitious 
cloud. 

END OF THE EXPOSITION. 



176 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



CHAPTER XL 

Of what the remaining chapters treat — Manifes- 
tations at Woonsocket, R. I. — Remarkable ones 
at East BlacJcstone, Mass. — Mr. Harvey 
Chase's statement respecting his former wife's 
spirit hand. t 

The remaining chapters of this work consist 
chiefly of Phenomenal Facts and Communications, 
with such passing explanations and comments as 
seemed to the author either indispensable, or 
highly pertinent. The Phenomena witnessed, 
during the last two years, at Hopedale, and within 
the sphere of my personal acquaintance, if stated 
with any considerable particularity, would afford 
matter for several elaborate chapters. But after 
what has been comprehensively stated in the fourth 
chapter, pp. 45 to 50, it would hardly be advisable 
for me to swell this volume with minute accounts 
of cases and incidents. Many of the particulars 
are unimportant, as compared with phenomena 
daily taking place in numerous localities through- 
out the country. The more prominent ones are 
already before the reader in my general statement 
just referred to. I shall refrain, therefore, from 
detailing my own experience and observations at 
home, and use most of my space for the presenta- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 177 

tion of remarkable manifestations witnessed by 
others. I commence with those which have taken 
place within a few miles of my residence, more or 
less familiar to me, and among persons on whose 
testimony I can rely with the utmost confidence, 
in respect both to intelligence and veracity ; most 
of them being my long known friends and acquain- 
tances. 

WOONSOCKET, R. I. 

Many striking demonstrations have been made 
by spirits in this populous manufacturing village 
during the last two years. Some of these have 
been distinguished for physical power, some for 
intellectual excellence, and some for a combina- 
tion of both. In one case, as far as they went, 
thev strongly resembled those which took place 
year before last, at Dr. Phelps', in Stratford, Ct. 
Clothing, money, and numerous other small arti- 
cles were strangely thrown about, stowed away, 
grotesquely arranged, concealed and then brought 
to light, &c. The Medium, if so I might call 
him, in connection with whom these occurrences 
transpired, appears to have been a man of some- 
what excitable temperament, little inclined to be- 
lieve in Spirit Manifestations, much disposed to 
resist the mysterious agency operating on him, 
associated with positive minds, some of whom 
were inveterately skeptical, and others whose re- 
ligious education prepared them to see only the 
i. 



178 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

work of their Devil in such unaccountable devel- 
opments. His own conduct throughout was such 
as might be expected from a person of his views 
and feelings, acting under these circumstances. 
It was exceedingly incoherent and unwise. His 
mind was thrown into perturbation, his business 
interrupted, and his health greatly injured. In- 
stead of calmness, prayerful reliance on God, order, 
regularity, moderation, and a gentle firmness of 
conduct, there was excitement, recklessness, con- 
fusion, defiance, and presumption. To give some 
idea of this singular case, I will mention two or 
three incidents. One evening, while he was sit- 
ting perfectly still in his chair, in a state of mag- 
netic somnambulism, attended by a physician and 
another gentleman, one of the pillows of his bed 
was thrown through the door of the adjacent bed- 
room, and lodged on the floor by his side. The 
astonished attendants made themselves sure that 
no mortal hands had performed this feat, and then 
replaced it on the bed. But they were scarcely 
seated, when it flew through the bed-room door, 
and lodged as before. Again they examined, 
again replaced the pillow, and again it was thrown 
to the same spot. 

Several times his money mysteriously disappear- 
ed from his pockets, and as mysteriously dropped 
down upon him, or was tossed about the room. 
This happened repeatedly, under circumstances 
which seemed to exclude all possibility of mortal 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 179 

trickery. On one occasion, the same gentlemen 
being present as before, together with a lad of 
rather daring character, several pieces of coin 
successively fell in different parts of the room. 
They were picked up and placed in one of the 
gentlemen's great-coat pockets that hung on a 
chair. Presently the lad declared that he, too, 
could toss money about the room. So taking one 
of the pieces from the pocket, he gave it a toss ; 
then a second ; but as he took up the third, three 
fearful blows, as of a man striking on the wall of 
the house with a heavy bludgeon, stopped his 
sport, and filled all present with consternation. 

Sometimes the man assumed a defiant air to- 
wards the invisibles, and dared them to attempt 
their exploits against his will. On a certain occa- 
sion, grasping his jack-knife firmly in his right 
hand, he declared that he would hold it in spite of 
them. Scarcely ^had he uttered his challenge, 
when his knife flew from his hand to the opposite 
side of the room. All he could say was, that he 
felt his hand relax its grasp on the knife, and in- 
stantly it was gone. Many incidents connected 
with this case, equally astonishing, might be men- 
tioned ; but I must pass on. 

Miss Ellen Capron, daughter of my friend, Car- 
lisle W. Capron, now resident in Woonsocket, 
was for several months an excellent medium for 
the "Tippings," and also for " Writings." For 
some time past her mediumship seems to have 
l2 



180 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

been nearly suspended. Among the many inter- 
esting cases and incidents connected with this 
young lady's mediumship, I will mention only the 
following : — At a sitting, held about the 25th of 
February last, the spirits then in communication 
announced that a stranger had appeared among 
them, and desired to communicate. Her name 
having been called for, was given as " Angeline 
Juliette Kimball." She stated that she was the 
daughter of Daniel H. Kimball, Esq., of East 
Kingston, New Hampshire, and requested that a 
letter might be written to her father containing a 
certain filial message from her, the substance of 
which was that she still existed in the spirit world, 
was happy there, took a deep interest in the wel- 
fare of those she had left on earth, greatly desired 
to open a communication with them, and that it 
might be done through some Medium for Spirit 
Manifestations, if suitable pains should be taken. 
Not one of the company had ever heard of such 
a person. Nor did any one recollect whether 
there was such a place as East Kingston, N. H. 
It was agreed, however, that the letter should be 
written, and addressed precisely as directed by the 
spirit, Angeline Juliette. Accordingly, it was 
written and forwarded next day. Some doubted 
whether it would ever be heard from again. But 
under date of March 5, it was respectfully an- 
swered by Mr. Kimball, confirming completely all 
the facts asserted by the spirit of his daughter. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 181 

How are our opposers going to account for such 
an occurrence ? 

In this connection I must be permitted to re- 
peat a brief statement, which I made last year in 
the Practical Christian, respecting a similar case. 
The Medium was a Mr. Brigham, also of Woon- 
socket Being alone one evening in his room, he 
had his attention called to repeated earnest rap- 
pings about him. He inquired if any one wished 
to communicate. The name of a person totally 
unknown to him was spelled out The spirit in- 
formed the medium that he formerly belonged to a 
place several miles distant — that his parents were 
still living there — that he left them several years 
ago, and went to sea — that he was drowned — that 
his parents had never heard from him since he 
left them — and that he now desired the medium 
to write his father a letter, stating the substance 
of what had been communicated. The medium, 
having obtained the name and the post office of the 
spirit's father, by rappings, said nothing to any one, 
but immediately addressed a letter as directed. 
Ten days afterwards an answer was received, veri- 
fying the communication in every particular. 
Not one of this family was known to the medium, 
or had ever before been heard of by him. 

I have heard of several such cases in this gen- 
eral region. Again I ask, how are our opposers 
going to account for them ? The facts are un- 
questionable. 



182 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

EAST BLACKSTONE. 

I will now place on record some very wonderful 
facts, which have transpired at various times since 
August 1, 1851 ; chiefly under the mediumship of 
Mrs. Eliza Wilcox, wife of my friend, Marcus C. 
Wilcox. The family reside in what has been 
familiarly called Lower Canada Village, in the 
easterly part of the new town of Blackstone. 
She, too, has found her medium power almost sus- 
pended for the last two or three months, owing, 
as the spirits declare, to her continual sittings, 
against their oft repeated friendly counsels to the 
contrary. Her only motive was to gratify the 
importunate requests of ever-calling inquirers. 
Money, the family, though in humble circum- 
stances, always refused, even when tendered in 
the form of presents ; thus rebutting the abusive 
slang of those opposers, who, judging others by 
their own penny-catching propensities, can find no 
higher motive in spirit-media than the love of filthy 
lucre. 

At a sitting in the month of October, 1851, 
some eight or ten persons being present, it was 
proposed that the company form a circle around 
the table, and join hands. This was done. Mrs. 
Wilcox sat in a chair, with her feet on a round, 
clear of the floor. No persons were near enough 
to touch her, except a lady who held her by the left 
hand, and Mr. E. N. Paine, who had hold of her 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 183 

right hand. Presently the chair in which the 
Medium sat commenced moving toward the left, 
in a circular direction. The company could dis- 
tinctly see the whole movement. The chair, with 
the Medium in it, described a considerable circle, 
returning almost exactly to the spot whence it 
started. It then described the same circle again ; 
the lady and Mr. Paine continuing all the time 
their hold on the Medium's hands, to make sure 
that she was entirely passive. As vouchers for 
the truth of this statement, I am permitted to 
give the names of Messrs. Emery Scott and Eman- 
uel N. Paine, of East Blackstone, who witnessed 
the phenomena, and whose testimony will not be 
questioned by any who know them. 

At a sitting about the last of November, Mr. 
Lebbeus L. Wood, an honest and worthy man, but 
a decided skeptic on this subject, was in attend- 
ance for the purpose of ascertaining whether there 
was any reality in the alleged manifestations. He 
had taken one of his sons with him, and also Mr. 
Otis Joslin, a neighbor in whom he could confide. 
These three so placed themselves, by agreement, 
as to keep a strict watch over every movement in 
the room. Not succeeding in obtaining any man- 
ifestations of much consequence while sitting at 
the table, the company arose and were about leav- 
ing. Mrs. Wilcox, however, took a seat by the 
side of the house, not far from a foot-stool that 
stood on the floor. At this moment distinct rap- 



184 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

pings commenced on the foot-stool. Mr. Wood and 
and his assistants gladly returned to their exami- 
nation. The foot-stool was in full view, complete- 
ly isolated, no person being within two feet of it. 
The raps were very distinct, and the responses to 
numerous questions entirely intelligent. The in- 
vestigators eyed it with searching scrutiny and deep 
amazement. Some one asked if music would be 
agreeable to the invisibles, and was answered in 
the affirmative. Mr. Wilcox commenced singing, 
whereupon the stool beat out the time and tune 
in a regular accompaniment. Its ends were alter- 
nately elevated from one to five inches, and then 
it would rock to and fro from side to side, exhib- 
iting a spectacle which completely banished Mr. 
Wood's skepticism. I have a statement of these 
facts, subscribed by himself and Mr. Joslin, which 
concludes thus, — " We believe the above to be the 
work of disembodied spirits." Many other phe- 
nomena have been witnessed by Mr. Wood at dif- 
ferent times ; one of which was a feat of strength, 
equal, as he expresses it, to the " hauling of his 
stone drag" 

Another sitting ; present, Marcus C. Wilcox 
and his wife, (Medium,) Emery Scott and two 
daughters, and Benjamin Ray. Distinct raps on 
the table. Mr. Wilcox asked for the spirit's name. 
Ans. — " William Wilcox," deceased father of 
Marcus. Are you really the spirit of my father ? 
" Yes." I am glad you have came ; you meet 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 185 

here some old friends. Lively and significant 
raps. Father, would you like to converse with 
Mr. Scott ? " Yes." Scott then said— William, 
I am happy to meet you this evening. We former- 
ly spent many a jovial hour together. Cordial 
responses. I have no doubt you are the spirit of 
my friend, Wm. Wilcox, but perhaps you will do 
something to demonstrate it positively to all pres- 
ent. Will you do anything I may ask, that shall 
be in your power ? " Yes." On one side of the 
table sat the Medium, and opposite to her Mr. 
Ray ; on the other side sat Mr. Wilcox, and oppo- 
site him Mr. Scott. Will you move the table to- 
wards Mr. Ray ? It was moved nearly a foot. Will 
you move it back towards the Medium ? It was 
moved back over a foot. Will you move it to- 
wards Marcus ? Again it moved as before. Will 
you move it towards me? It was promptly done. 
Various interesting conversation ensued. 

At the same sitting the spirit of Mr. Scott's 
deceased daughter announced herself. An affect- 
ing interview follow ed. Among other demonstra- 
tions made by this last mentioned spirit, was a 
very distinct designation of her two sisters present, 
made by moving the table first towards the eldest, 
and then in the opposite direction towards the 
youngest sister. 

Another sitting. The spirit of Samuel Caesar, 
a colored man (of North Providence, R. I.), five 
years deceased, purported to be present. This 



186 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

spirit had given an astonishing demonstration with 
Mr. Wilcox's violin, on which he had played sev- 
eral times, by thrumming or twanging the strings, 
as with the natural fingers. At length he de- 
tached all the strings from the head of the instru- 
ment, took out the bridge, slipped it into the P 
hole, and declined further performances on it. 
Upon this, Mr. Lyman Wilcox, one of the com- 
pany, suggested the idea that the spirit be asked to 
open and examine the contents of a pocket-book. 
The question was put, if he would attempt it? 
" Yes." A small sized pocket-book, containing 
gold, silver and paper money, with sundry bills 
and pieces of paper, was then placed on a com- 
mon slate, and reached under the table. This 
pocket-book had a strap running through three 
loops, which held it very firmly. The Medium 
held one end of the slate, and Mr. L. Wilcox the 
other ; effectual means being used to prevent the 
possibility of deception. The result was, the 
strap of the pocket-book was soon drawn through 
the loops, the money and papers taken out and 
laid on different parts of the slate in perfect order, 
and the slate reached out for inspection. The 
pocket-book contained §15. The different kinds 
of money had been counted and declared correct- 
ly, while the slate was under the table. The gold 
was placed by itself, likewise the silver, and the 
paper. Among the coins were a gold dollar piece 
and a half dime. The spirit was asked if he 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 187 

could tell one of these coins from the other. 
" Yes." Accordingly the gold dollar, having been 
called for, was taken from the slate and placed in 
the questioner's hand. The whole process was 
closely tested, and then a request made to have 
all things replaced properly in the pocket-book. 
This, too, was done, and with such precision that 
the owner declared he could find nothing out of 
its original order; even the strap being drawn 
through all the loops as at first. This kind of 
demonstration was repeated at subsequent sittings, 
in at least a dozen instances with the same suc- 
cess. 

The Frank Copeland Case. The spirit of Fran- 
cis Copeland, a few months deceased, manifested 
itself. Frank was an illiterate youth, but re- 
markably athletic, fond of running, leaping, lifting, 
and such like games. His spirit exhibited some 
of these peculiarities. The forcible manner in 
which he moved substances, the feats exhibited, 
and his illiterateness, identified him at once with 
all who had known him in the flesh. He could 
spell out nothing at first. He could not answer 
questions by raps, but only give physical demonstra- 
tions. Marcus Wilcox, knowing that Frank had 
an intelligent and amiable sister in the spirit world, 
advised him to get her to teach him. She also 
manifested herself, and it was agreed that the ad- 
vice should be followed. The result was, that at 
the end of three months, Frank desired to show 



188 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

his earthly friends what improvement he had made. 
This he did, by spelling many words and names 
correctly, and by various proofs that his moral na- 
ture was experiencing a very great change for the 
better. On this occasion, a neighbor, Mr. Thomp- 
son, was present, who, being asked if he knew 
Frank, answered, No. But the spirit said, he 
knew Thompson. He then reminded Thompson 
of being at work on the new road leading to 
Woonsocket, at a certain time when he, Frank, 
was present. Thompson immediately recollected 
the circumstances, and the peculiarities of the 
young man. On one occasion this spirit was 
asked, if he would take the slate pencil and mark 
on the slate. This was before he could write 
words, or spell at all. He would move the slate 
about with such quickness and force as to astonish, 
and almost terrify everybody present. He would 
mark its surface with rude, unmeaning char- 
acters, thrust it back and forth with incredible 
activity, throw the pencil into different persons' 
hands, laps, and sometimes keep it where no 
one could find it, till pleased to deliver it up. 
Messrs. Wilcox and Scott related many marvels 
touching this case, to which I can make no spe- 
cific allusion. 

The Iron Founder's Visit. An intelligent gen- 
tleman from Baltimore, an Iron Founder, called 
one evening on Mr. Wilcox's family, anxious to 
learn whether there was any reality in the strange 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 189 

reports he had heard. He was accompanied by a 
Mr. Boutelle of Woonsocket. This gentleman 
was exceedingly skeptical respecting the demon- 
strations, yet upright and manly. Friend Wilcox, 
perceiving that he had some suspicion of jugglery 
or wire-pulling, told him frankly to search the 
room, and even the whole house from cellar to 
garret, as thoroughly as he pleased. He -himself 
turned the table bottom side up on the floor for 
examination. The gentleman appeared surprised 
at the liberties offered him, and disclaimed wish- 
ing to indulge evil suspicions under such circum- 
stances. So he criticised the room a little, and 
requested to witness whatever phenomena might 
be exhibited. Considerable company was present, 
and some very good manifestations occurred. But 
up to 10 o'clock the gentleman remained quite 
unsatisfied. About this time most of the company 
left. The Iron Founder wished to see and hear 
more. So a little respite was taken and refresh- 
ments served, after which the sitting was resumed. 
The table now moved in a most wonderful man- 
ner, and unusually convincing demonstrations 
rapidly succeeded each other for over an hour. 
Meantime the gentleman applied various tests, and 
took the strongest precautions, by fixing the feet 
and hands of the Medium and her husband in such 
positions, that they could not make the slightest 
movement without his knowledge. Some of his 
contrivances were almost painful. But he was 



190 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

allowed lo have his own way entirely, till con- 
founded and finally convinced. At length he 
ceased, threw himself back in his chair, and ex- 
claimed, " O, my God, must I receive this as the 
work of spirits ? Yes, I must ; and I hereby re- 
cord my conviction before you, friends, and the 
world." It was now midnight, and he must depart. 
Pulling out his purse, said he, " I have received 
more than $50 worth of knowledge and good, and 
I am willing to contribute accordingly." Not a 
single cent, responded the " rappomaniacs" will 
we receive. You are welcome to all you have 
learned in this house. We desire to spread truth 
— not to make money by these means. " Then," 
said the gentleman, deeply affected, " place me on 
the list of your eternal friends, and if ever in want, 
let me know it, and you shall not go unrelieved." 
So saying, he shook them cordially by the hand, 
and departed. What have you to say to this, ye 
flippant re viler s of " rappomania ?" 

The Corey Case. Caleb Corey, a sea captain, 
formerly of Fall River, Mass., is believed to have 
perished in the great gale of 1815. He went to 
sea about that time, and has never been heard from 
since, except as a spirit in the case now to be 
narrated. His nephew, of the same name, some- 
times attended the sittings at Mr. Wilcox's. It 
was thus that the spirit-uncle appears to have been 
attracted thither. When he first announced his 
presence, and spelled out that he r ame to his 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 191 

earthly end in the great gale of September, 1815, 
all the company present, without exception, in- 
sisted that he must have mistaken the year of his 
decease; for the great gale, they were certain, 
took place in 1816. Some how they had all fal- 
len into this chronological error. A debate was 
held with Captain Corey's spirit for an hour on 
this point. But he insisted that he knew how it 
was, that they were in error, and that if they would 
examine certain published records, they would 
find their mistake. They afterwards did so, and 
to their great surprise, learned that he was correct. 
This shows that the ideas communicated through 
Spirit Media do not always originate in their own 
minds, nor in those of the circle. Moreover, nei- 
ther the Medium, nor any of the company, except- 
ing Mr. Corey, the nephew, ever knew that such 
a person had existed, until he gave his name. 

But his manifestations were peculiar and as- 
tounding. He caused numerous sounds and mo- 
tions closely resembling those of sea-faring life — 
such as taking in and making sail, raising and 
lowering boats, tearing up and repairing decks, 
handling and nailing down plank, &c. He even 
imitated the sculling of a boat, by giving the table 
the same sort of motion. His strength was pro- 
digious. His nephew asked him if he could lift 
the table? " Yes." And he did so with seeming 
ease. Could you lift it with Mr. Wilcox on it ? 
44 Yes." Mr. W. placed himself on the table as 



192 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

compactly as he could. His weight is about 180 
lbs. The whole was then lifted clear off the floor, 
from one to six inches high, and held suspended 
nearly a minute. Afterwards Mr. W. seated him- 
self on one end of the table, and a conversation 
ensued for five minutes. Questions were an- 
swered by lifting that end of the table on which 
Mr. W. sat three inches ; once for a negative, and 
thrice for an affirmative. And during the whole 
process of these liftings, the Medium was at least 
eighteen inches from any part of the table. Many 
such facts transpired, for which I have no space 
in this work. 

Feeling and Shaking Spirit-Hands. Mr. Wil- 
cox, Mr. Scott, and several other individuals of 
cool judgment and unquestionable moral integrity, 
testify that they have several times distinctly felt 
the grasp, pressure, and shake of a hand, de- 
claratively held out to them for that purpose by 
some spirit purporting to be present at their sit- 
tings. Mr. Wilcox affirms that this has taken 
place, to his knowledge, more than one hundred 
times. Some hands are soft and velvet-like, and 
some of a harder consistence, marked by the pe- 
culiarities which distinguished the person's mortal 
hand. Some hands are warmer and others cooler. 
Some moist, and others comparatively dry. In a 
single instance the hand was absolutely cold to 
chilliness. It was that of a very low and degraded 
spirit, who was instantly dismissed. The grasp 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 193 

is generally sensible, firm, and cordial. Mr. Wil- 
cox says he has frequently been permitted to feel 
of the hand, wrist, and part of the arm, as delib- 
erately as he ever did one of flesh and blood. 
The spirits represent that they have power, under 
certain circumstances, to assume forms proper to 
manifest themselves to the senses of mortals, either 
to touch or sight. Perhaps I shall not find a more 
appropriate place to insert the following important 
testimony : — 

" Blackstone, June 30, 1852. 
" Adix Ballou, — 

" Dear Sir : — Below you get the substance of 
the most important Spiritual Manifestations that it 
has been my good fortune to witness. I have of- 
ten attended sittings in different places, and have 
witnessed much that would seem incredible to one 
who had never seen anything of the kind. I have 
called these phenomena, Spiritual Manifestations, 
for I believe them to be such. I will here state, 
that for more than twenty years I was a confirmed 
skeptic, or infidel, as people called me. I did not 
believe that man had an immortal soul, or any ex- 
istence after the death of the body. But in wit- 
nessing the incident related hereafter, relative to 
the defective hand of Sybil Chase, my former 
wife, and feeling the bent and stiffened fingers, 
the short and thick nail, my skepticism departed, 
and I believed that man possessed an immortal part. 
You can make such use of what I have written 

M 



194 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

■ -■ ■ ■ ■■ " > ■ ■* 

as you please, by altering the phraseology and 
retaining the substance. 

" Very respectfully your friend, 

" Harvey Chase. 
" About the last of October, 1851, I went to 
the house of Marcus C. Wilcox, of Blackstone, 
to witness Spiritual Manifestations which I under- 
stood they were constantly receiving. On one 
evening, when sitting around a table with Mrs. 
Eliza Wilcox (who was the medium), and Marcus 
C. W r ilcox, her husband, with several others whose 
names I do not now recollect, what purported to be 
the spirit of Sybil Chase, my former wife, made 
her presence known by rappings, and gave her 
name by our calling the alphabet. Several ques- 
tions were put to her, and answered. I put the 
following question : — Will you take me by the 
hand 1 The answer was, * No. 9 I then asked 
her if it would ever be possible for her to do so? 
1 Yes. 9 She then called for the alphabet by giv- 
ing, five distinct raps, which was the signal for 
that purpose, and we obtained the following reply, 
' I cannot shake hands with you here, but if you 
will go to Meltiah Knowlton's, at Greenville, R. I., 
and sit with Daniel Knowlton, [D. K. is a young 
brother of Mrs. Wilcox, and a strong Medium,] I 
will take hold of your hand.' At the same time, 
my father and George Knowlton, who purported 
to be present, said they would take hold of my 
hand, if I would go to Greenville and sit with 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 195 

**- m ' 

Daniel. Soon after the events related above, Mar- 
cus C. Wilcox and myself went to the house of 
Mr. Knovvlton, and had a sitting with Daniel 
Knowlton, the Medium, the result of which was 
as follows : — After being seated a short time, 
the rapping and other manifestations were made, 
and several questions were put and answered, be- 
fore making the object of our visit known. I then 
put the question, Are the spirits present who 
promised to take me by the hand ? The answer 
was, ' Yes. 3 I then held my hand in open space, 
where it was not possible to be reached by any 
one present without altering their position, which 
they did not, as I must have seen them. I felt a 
hand as perfect as that of a living person, the 
touch and separation of the fingers was plainly 
perceptible. It purported to be the hand of my 
former wife. One of her hands was deformed by 
being badly burnt when a child. Two of her 
fingers were bent inward toward the palm, and the 
nail on one finger was very short and thick. I 
then asked her to put her deformed hand into 
mine, which she immediately did; and then passed 
her finger with the thick nail over the palm of my 
hand, as if to convice me of her identity. After- 
wards, my father and George Knowlton (or what 
purported to be them) put their hands into mine, 
they had before promised. Much more was 
done at the time ; one particular of which I will 
give. I held in my hand two pieces of monev. 
m2 



196 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS, 

which were taken out and passed into the hand of 
Mrs. Knowlton, at a distance of about six feet, by 
an invisible hand. H. C." 

Seeing Spirit-Hands. One evening, after the 
spirit of Samuel Caesar had played the violin, while 
held directly under Mr. Emery Scott's face, writ- 
ten on the slate, and given other remarkable man- 
ifestations, Mr. Scott seated himself near the 
stove, several feet from the table at which the sit- 
ting was in process. There was a lamp on the 
table, and another on the sink close by, shining 
very clearly under the table. The table stood two 
feet from the wall of the room, which was whitish, 
and reflected the light very strongly. The Me- 
dium sat between the table and the wall, nearly 
facing Mr. Scott. There were only two or three 
around the table, and these sat in such positions, 
that Mr. S., with the strong light which shone un- 
derneath, could distinctly see all that transpired 
on and under the table. The Medium held the 
slate with one hand under the table, whilst her 
other rested on its upper surface. Her husband 
was asking questions, and the spirit of Samuel 
Caesar was answering by raps and writing on the 
slate. While this was proceeding, Mr. Scott, who 
was smoking his pipe at the stove, watching the 
movements of the pencil on the slate, distinctly 
saw the shadowy spirit-hand, with the arm half 
way to the elbow, repeatedly projected and moving 
about on the slate. At first the suspicion crossed his 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 197 

mind, that it might be the hand of the Medium. He 
held her to be morally incapable of intentional 
deception, yet thought it possible her hand might 
be used unconsciously. But subsequent careful 
scrutiny showed him, beyond a doubt, that the 
hand he saw was that of a large sized man ; that 
it was of a different color and appearance from 
the Medium's, and that the manner in which she 
held the slate with one hand, while resting her 
other on the table, precluded the possibility of her 
using either, as the one was used which he saw 
moving over and about the slate. 

The next night another sitting was held, and 
Mr. Scott having pondered the subject very se- 
riously, resolved, if possible, to see the hand again. 
Messrs. Benjamin Ray, Ellis Cook, and a few 
other neighbors were present, but the company 
was not large. Various excellent manifestations 
were made. All things having been favorably 
arranged for obtaining a clear view under the ta- 
ble, Messrs. Scott and Cook seated themselves 
quietly at the stove, near the spot where Scott sat 
the evening before. Presently Cook, evincing 
wnsiderable surprise, whispered to Scott that he 
had seen a hand. Scott rejoined, " I believe it; 
for I saw one last night" Cook now went to the 
table and requested the Medium to place both 
hands on the table. The company queried, and 
tie had to explain by telling what he had seem 
Ha said Jxe thought it must be the Medium's hand, 



198 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

■i « I ff ■ 

made use of by spirits unconsciously to herself. 
He wanted to test it. The Medium felt grieved. 
Mr. Ray remarked, " She could not have done it ; 
for one of her hands was under the slate, and the 
other on the table all the time." The manifesta- 
tions seemed embarrassed, and almost suspended. 
One of the spirits present, an uncle of the Me- 
dium, spelled out by raps, " Eliza feels grieved ; 
she thinks Ellis [Mr. Cook] has hard thoughts." 
Considerable discussion followed. Mr. Cook re- 
quested Marcus Wilcox to place his hand under 
the table, and afterwards the Medium to present 
hers. Cook then said that the hand he saw was 
entirely different in appearance from either of 
theirs. It was not flesh colored, but had a shad- 
owy or cloud-like color, as Scott had seen it the 
previous evening. 

The next evening another sitting took pi ace r 
when the same persons and others were present, 
Some manifestations were called for with the slate 
and violin ; but L. Knowlton, the Medium's spirit- 
uncle, refused to make use of them, shoving them 
out from under the table as often as they were pre- 
sented. He was then asked, — Have you anything 
to communicate through the alphabet 1 " Yes. 
Mr. Scott and Mr. Cook cannot see me to-night ; 
but if Eliza will go and sit by the stove, I will 
show her my hand." The Medium dreaded the 
sight, and could not be prevailed on, though all the 
company implored her to do so* The spu it, too* 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 199 

spelled out — " Eliza, go and see my hand." Still 
she could not be induced. Question to the spirit. 
Will she be frightened? "Perhaps." Is there 
any cause for fright ? " No." Spirit said, " Will 
you go, Eliza, when some of the people are gone ?" 
Mr. Scott said to her, — Now, you can say either 
yes, or no. But she hesitated, and could say 
neither. Various remarks. The spirit said, "All 
move up to the table." Some complied, and others 
did not. The table moved three times towards 
the centre of the room, six inches each time. 
Mr. Scott remarked, — We are all here to investi- 
gate ; let us observe the requirements ; let us all 
move up to the table. Circle formed at last. To 
the spirit,— Will this do? "Yes." Mr. Scott 
said, — Now, Eliza, go and see the hand. Spirit 
rejoined, " No. Marcus and Eliza go together, 
and sit by the stove." The Medium relunctantly 
consented to accompany her husband. The circle 
opened a space sufficiently wide to afford a good 
view under the table, but the light did not shine 
there, as when Messrs. Scott and Cook had seen the 
hand. The slate was put under the table, and 
they could not distinguish its form. But presently 
Mrs. Wilcox saw a hand pointing first towards 
herself, then up, then down, and then in every di- 
rection successively, as requested by the company. 
Marcus being at first unable to discern it, said to the 
spirit, — Uncle Leonard, there may be mere imagi- 
nation ; let me see it. He then saw it distinctly, 



200 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

pointing first one way, and then the other, till it 
vanished. Both saw the hand and arm half way 
to the elbow. The Medium saw it completely to 
the elbow. It appeared to be of a pale white 
color, contrasting naturally with the dim darkness 
that prevailed under the table. When Scott and 
Cook had their opportunities, it was very light un- 
der the table, and the hands seen appeared shadowy. 
Now, when it was dark there, the hand appeared 
as if composed of pale light, or some fine, whitish, 
atrial substance. To conclude, the spirit positive- 
ly declared, that Messrs. Scott and Cook had not 
been deceived, but that each had seen a spirit- 
hand. 

I close this chapter, by stating that the persons 
named in the foregoing narration have authorized 
me to refer any doubter or inquirer to them, as 
witnesses of the facts set forth, and of numerous 
similar facts which it was impossible to present in 
this work. Messrs. Emery Scott, Marcus C. Wil- 
cox, and Harvey Chase are not only willing, but 
desirous, that I should state to the public their con- 
version to a firm and happy belief in the immortal- 
ity of all human souls. Scott was for many years 
an intelligent but inveterate materialist, who could 
not believe in the existence of any conscious hu- 
man spirit, except in connection with the material 
organic brain. He says he often desired to believe 
in man's future existence, but could find no proof 
of it adequate to rational conviction. He also re- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 201 

jected all the so-called supernaturalism of the Bi- 
ble. When he first began to read of Spirit Mani- 
festations in the papers, and even after they came 
into his own neighborhood, he considered the 
whole thing a contemptible humbug. He ridiculed 
the very idea of spirits communicating with mor- 
tals, and for some time stubbornly refused to wit- 
ness what was going on at Mr. Wilcox's. But his 
conversion is complete. Mr. Wilcox was brought 
up an atheist, and says he hated the very sight of 
the Bible from childhood. Now he reads it fre- 
quently with exceeding delight, especially the New 
Testament scriptures. The spirits have often 
called on him to read a chapter at their sittings, 
and made strong demonstrations of approbation at 
the rehearsal of every impressive sentence. It is 
not long since that the reading of that excellent 
chapter, 1 John, iv., was called for. Mr. Scott 
was present at the time. All in attendance were 
most seriously affected by the significant emphasis 
which the spirits gave to the sublime principles 
therein expressed. Mr. Chase has spoken for him- 
self in his communication. 

I am happy to know that many other equally 
unexpected and salutary conversions have been 
wrought by these despised Manifestations. Doubt- 
less, religious bigots, who denounce every rejector 
of their peculiar doxy and sectarian yoke as an 
infidel, will say that such conversions are 
worse than none; that these men, as well as 



202 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

all the rest of us, are the most dangerous kind of 
infidels ; and that it were better we were all brut- 
ish atheists, rather than what we are. I under- 
stand all this, and clearly perceive, that so far as 
Pharisaical selfishness and craft are concerned, 
these conversions, with the whole reformatory, 
spiritual and moral movement of which they are 
incidents, are dangerous. Yes, they are danger- 
ous to hoary error and time-honored evils ; but in 
respect to human redemption, progression, eleva- 
tion, and absolute welfare, they are indescribably 
propitious, auspicious, and cheering. They pre- 
sage the coming of that glorious future, when " all 
shall know the Lord, from the least to the great- 
est," and when " there shall be none to harm or 
destroy" Jn all the earth. Therefore, let the hope- 
ful chant, till it be fulfilled, the angelic anthem, — 
" Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, 
good will to men." 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 203 



V 



CHAPTER XII. 
John M. Spear's Mediumship — Remarkable cases 
of healing, or the relieving of pain through the 
touch of his hand — Drawing curious figures 
and symbolic representations — Receiving texts 
and skeletons of sermons to preach from at par- 
ticular places, SfC. 

John M. Spear, of Boston, is well known among 
the philanthropists of New England for his active 
benevolence, particularly in behalf of the poor 
prisoner, and other perishing classes of humanity. 
He is a man of great truthfulness, simplicity, and 
conscientious earnestness of character. A few 
months since he found himself beginning to be 
developed as a spirit medium. His mediumship 
has been distinguished by very peculiar and strik- 
ing manifestations. His eldest daughter is also a 
good medium. The spirits write through him, 
remove the pains of the sick by the touch of his 
hand, draw very mysterious figures on paper, send 
him on special missions of mercy, give him texts 
to preach from, with skeletons of the discourse, 
&c, &,c. By his permission, I give a chapter of 
statements respecting what has transpired under 
his mediumship. I commence with what may be 
called cases of healing, or relieving the sick. 



204 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

The Abington Case. This case has been given 
to the public in a recent pamphlet, by a Boston 
gentleman, in cog. The pamphlet contains an 
able Reply to Professor Pond's articles in the Pu- 
ritan Recorder. When that pamphlet was writ- 
ten, Br. Spear did not feel prepared to have his 
name announced in connection with this subject. 
He is now willing to be known as a spirit medium, 
and to bear whatever responsibility or reproach 
may rest upon him on that account. Having thus 
far explained, I take the liberty to save myself a 
little labor by making, from the pamphlet referred 
to, the following 

extract : 

" I know a clergyman noted in this and the 
neighboring states, for his pure charity and active 
benevolence, and who, when alone in his study, 
receives such communications as the following, 
written out by his own hand, without thought or 
volition : — 

" ' You must go to A. to-morrow night. You 
will be wanted there. Call on Mr. D. V. Go 
with your horse and chaise, and leave B. at 2 
o'clock precisely. That will bring you where you 
will be wanted, in season. 

" ' Go by the way of A. Do not fear to do as 
you are guided. All will be well. Tell sister B. 
I will watch over you while you are from home. 
She shall see good come of this direction, and 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 205 

will be satisfied with it when you get home from 
the journey. I am your friend, and will protect 
you from all danger, and will lead you safely and 
pleasantly home. 

"'D. V. lives in A. You do not know him. 
It is not your brother-in-law in H., of whom you 
have been thinking since you have been impressed 
to write this communication. He lives near D. 
H.'s house. I shall impress you again to-morrow 
to go. Go,— go,— go. O . . . . r,' 

11 The next day this was written : — 

" ' Dear Brother S. — I know the state you are 
in. You would like to do as you are directed, but 
you doubt. Fear not. It shall be well with you. 
Can you not trust'? Remember John Murray. 
He had faith, and went as he was impressed. God 
helped him, and He will help you. Be of good 
comfort ; I love you, and will lead you on in the 
path of duty and peace. Go to A. Go, — go, — 
go. O . . . . r." 

" (After arriving at A.) 

" ' Go down to D. V.'s house in the morning 
with Mr. P. You will have a work to do there 
very important. Do, oh do, as directed. It will 
be well. I will teach you when you are there.' 

" These communications are copied from the 
original, as produced through the gentleman's 
hand, without any mental or physical exertion, in 
the same way as Dr. Taylor's experiments were 
made ; the genuineness of which, as not resulting 



206 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

from deception, not even our author suspects. 
This case presents a peculiar instance of thought- 
reading, yet not by a clairvoyant, or other person, 
either in a normal or abnormal state ; — for the 
gentleman was alone in his room, and yet his 
thoughts about the name D. V., he says, were ac- 
curately perceived. Nor can this be considered 
as a reflection of his own mind, for here were per- 
sons and facts, of which he avows his entire igno- 
rance ; never, indeed, having seen the man named 
D. V. 

" It will be observed that no intimation of the 
real object of the mission is given. This made 
him distrustful at first, but the repeated assurances 
of protection, and the necessity of confidence, at 
length inspired him with the requisite degree, and 
he started. 

" On arriving at A., and inquiring for the per- 
son named, he found there was such a one resid- 
ing three miles distant. The next morning he 
reached his house, and found the man sitting up. 
but in great distress, and with head and face 
closely bandaged and bound. The conversation 
naturally turned on the complaint ; and while the 
patient was relating how intensely he was suffering 
from neuralgia, and how he had been deprived of 
sleep for two weeks, our friend's hand was slowly 
and involuntarily raised to the sick man's face, and 
gently touched him near the ear with the tips of 
two fingers. The patient suddenly started, and 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 207 

with both hands clasping his leg, and raising it 
from the floor, exclaimed — - 

" ■ What did you do to my leg, sir V 

14 ' Nothing at all/ replied our friend, ' I uncon- 
sciously touched your face, but cannot tell the 
object of it ; but I did nothing to your \eg. } 

" ' But I am sure you did, for I felt it all 
through me.' 

" \ Well,' said our friend, ■ 1 guess it is all 
right ; though there is some mystery about it, it is 
probably all for the best.' 

" ' I think so," the man replied, ' for I feel 
much better for it. Indeed, my pain has all left 
me.' 

" I am authorized to say it did not return. 
This occurred the 3d day of last April. 

" We omit, as unnecessary for present purposes, 
all theorizing speculations on the above facts thus 
briefly condensed, and will only add, that the same 
gentleman has, in the same incomprehensible man- 
ner, been directed to make several other journeys, 
in one case, of more than a hundred miles, and 
for purposes entirely unknown, and only ascer- 
tained as they became accomplished through his 
own unconscious agency. 

" These things, whatever may be their cause, 
certainly appear more like * angels' visits,' than 
the wanderings of devouring devils, and although 
they may be ' few and far between,' let us be 
thankful that they are bestowed at all." 



208 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

«■ 

I learn from Br. Spear, that D. V., the person 
above mentioned as experiencing such instanta- 
neous relief, has since deceased. He remained 
easy, and seemed to be recovering his health for 
several days, when a fresh exposure brought back 
his disease with augmented violence. Br. S. re- 
ceived directions from the beneficent spirits to 
visit him again in his extremity. But when he 
arrived, the sufferer was surrounded by persons 
who would not permit any attempt to render him 
spirit-relief. So they blistered and leached, and 
wrought upon him, according to their medical 
wisdom, till he expired. 

Another Case. One morning, his daughter 
Sophronia, the medium before mentioned, received 
a hand-writing from the spirits, directing her 
father to call on and relieve a certain lady, one of 
his friends, that day at noon. He thought this 
very strange, as he supposed the lady to be in 
health. However, he called on her as directed, 
and found her suffering from a very severe pain in 
the top of her head. She said she had been sub- 
ject to turns of this distress for some time, and 
that during its continuance life became almost in- 
tolerable to her. On quietly sitting down with her 
for a little while, his hand was raised, and applied 
to her forehead. Immediately the pain lessened, 
and what was left seemed to locate itself in her 
neck. When he saw her again, the pain had com- 
pletely left her head and neck, and she complained 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 209 

only of a peculiar soreness in her feet. This 
symptom soon passed away, and she has since felt 
no further incomenience from the illness, from 
whose frequently recurring visits she had so griev- 
ously suffered. This lady gratefully acknowledges 
the relief imparted to her, but professes no settled 
faith in spirit-interpositions, and is wholly averse 
to having her name published. I therefore refrain 
from giving it, though it is in my possession. 

A similar case was that of Mrs. Pierpont, wife 
of the Rev. John Pierpont, now of Medford, Mass. 
She had been subject for several years to a painful 
affliction of the head, which at times quite unfitted 
her for business and social enjoyment. She was 
speedily relieved by the same mysterious interpo- 
sition, and is daily rejoicing in the blessing con- 
ferred on her. 

Only a short time since, a lady in Georgetown, 
Mass., was struck by lightning. Having partially 
recovered from the shock, she remained for sev- 
eral days exceedingly distressed for breath. Br. 
Spear was strongly impressed to attend the Anti- 
Slavery Convention, then about to take place in 
that town. He went, and there met two friends, 
who also were Media. While conversing with 
them, one of their hands was written with to this 
purport — " I want J. M. Spear to call on that poor 
woman who has been struck by lightning." It 
was signed, " Franklin." These three Media 
were all previously ignorant that such an event 



210 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

had occurred, not being residents of the town. 
But it was well known to those who were, and the 
particulars readily given. However, neither of the 
~hree was disposed to have the request complied with. 
Br. Spear was very much fatigued and exhausted, 
and his two friends insisted that he ought to re- 
main quietly with them for conversation. Objec- 
tions and excuses were pleaded in abundance, but 

' Franklin" still urged his request, that the poor 
woman should be visited. One of the Media said, 

; We want Mr. Spear to stay w r ith us, that we 
may enjoy the interview." It was immediately 
written by the spirit, — " Who are you ?" It was 
.tsked, " Who will go with him?" The response 
came promptly, " Who but If* It was near 
-wening, and if anything should be done, it must 
be done soon. Br. S. became so impressed witli 
a sense of duty to go, that finally, in spite of his 
own weariness and the remonstrances of his friends, 
he started. For the first hundred rods, he says it 
seemed extremely burdensome to drag himself 
along. He had a mile and a half to walk. It 
was not long, however, before he felt such an 
elasticity animating his steps, that all tiresomeness 
of effort ceased, and before he was aware of it, 
iie had arrived opposite the lady's residence, and 
meeting a man, was directed to her door. He 
introduced himself as a friend, who had heard of 
her affliction, and who, having had some success 
in alleviating distress, hoped he might be of some 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 211 

service to her. He seated himself near her, and 
instantly both their hands were raised so as to 
present the palms parallel to each other, two or 
three inches asunder. The Medium's hand 
seemed to him to be absorbing some subtle, im- 
ponderable element from the lady's limb, which 
pained him but relieved her. Soon she looked up 
to her husband and said, " That distress has left 
me. I can now breathe freely." This w T as the 
first intimation Br. S. had received that her diffi- 
culty was in breathing. She was completely 
relieved, and he returned to his lodgings with a 
joyous heart and an approving conscience ; though 
with a strange aching of his hand and arm, which 
lasted nearly an hour. 

The Drawings. These are very strange and 
curious. I can give but an imperfect general 
description of them. One must see them, in or- 
der to get a tolerable idea of their peculiarities. 
Br. Spear declares that he never had the least ex- 
perience, exercise, instruction, or taste in this 
business of drawing, and that, in forming these 
singular figures, he had no conscious design or 
idea what his hand was being moved to draw, but 
went on from line to line, and touch to touch, 
through the entire execution of them, under the 
impressions and controlling guidance of an intelli- 
gent will distinct from his own. Nor have they 
yet been explained to him; nor does he believe 
that he could, of his own skill, make any decent 
n2 



212 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

copy of them. He used no scale, dividers, paral- 
lels, or other instruments, except pieces of coin, 
which, in some instances, he was impressed to 
make use of in forming certain small circles. He 
was impressed to procure a few large sheets of pa- 
per, some writing quills, and two or three differ- 
ent colored inks. All this was unaccountable to 
him, as he had long discarded quills for their 
metallic substitutes, and scarcely ever made use 
of any other than ordinary ink, or writing paper. 
Thus he went forward, not knowing from moment 
to moment what was to be done next. But his 
hand moved to and fro in a very ingenious man- 
ner, forming squares, triangles, circles, and all 
kinds of figures, in all kinds of combination, and 
with all kinds of ornamental finish. He was sub- 
ject to interruption almost every moment, yet when 
he returned to his sitting, the work was resumed 
exactly where he quit it. Numerous mottoes, 
choice passages of Scripture, &c, appear in the 
open spaces, and all about the various devices; 
which he was directed where to find and how to 
insert. What is to come of all this, or whether it 
has specific significations hereafter to be explained, 
remains an impenetrable mystery. I shall not un- 
dertake to describe these drawings more particu- 
larly. It is possible that/ac similes of them may 
be published before long ; especially if they should 
prove to have any important interpretation, and if 
similar phenomena should be developed through 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 213 

other Media. This last has already happened in 
several places. It is in process now at Hopedale. 
The future must be waited for to explain it. 

Receiving Texts and Skeletons of Discourses. 
This has occurred with Br. Spear repeatedly. 
Texts have been prescribed for him, in which he 
never before saw any important meaning, and 
skeletons written out, giving them bearings and 
applications of great pertinence. He has several 
times been directed to go and preach discourses 
from those texts, sometimes with, and sometimes 
without using the skeleton, to particular congrega- 
tions, with the distinct understanding that his own 
mind should remain passive, and that a certain 
spirit should preach through him. And in all such 
cases he has realized a happy fulfillment of the 
promised inspiration. 

All this is marvelous ; yet who may presume it 
to have been wholly illusory ? Doubtless many 
will confidently deem it such, and treat everything 
of the kind with contempt. Once I might have 
leaned in that direction. But I have seen too 
much that my native ignorance deemed impossible, 
not to have been rendered modest in my skepti- 
cism. Truth is truth, in spite of all ignorance 
and unbelief And there is a vast ocean of truths, 
which man will have to learn sooner or later. 
Shakspeare put into Hamlet's mouth a pregnant 
saying, often quoted by the learned, though poorly 
appreciated by too many of them, viz. : — 



214 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, 
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'' 

If this were better remembered, we should proba- 
bly have fewer scoffers, and more honest learners, 
among mankind. Let no one make a fool of him- 
self, either by extreme credulity, or by self-con- 
ceited incredulity. The latter, though a more 
respectable fool than the former y is often a, greater 
one. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 215 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Communications purporting to come from the Spirit 
of Adin Augustus Ballou, who departed this life 
Feb. 8, 1852, through Elizabeth Alice Reed, of 
Hopedale, Writing Medium. 

The communications which occupy this chapter 
are copied from the Practical Christian, in which 
they were originally published. I have been re- 
peatedly asked how these communications were 
given, whether I confidently relied on them as 
really from our dear son, whether I did not think 
they originated in my own mind, &c. In answer 
to these questions I can only say, as I have here- 
tefore said : 1. That they came through a Medium 
who, I firmly believe, is morally incapable of in- 
tending to deceive, and who declares that she is 
unconscious of originating the ideas, or of any 
volition to express them in writing ; but that sim- 
ultaneously the ideas were strongly impressed on her 
mind, and written out with her hand, by a spiritual 
intelligence distinct from and superior to her own. 
2. That I have no good reasons to doubt the substan- 
tial genuineness of the communications, but many 
for accepting them as entirely reliable; yet that 
so long as there remains even a possibility of the 
contrary, I have to confess a frequently rising 



216 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

anxiety to receive some absolute demonstration. 
Whether I ever shall receive such a demonstra- 
tion while I remain in the flesh, God only knows. 
All I can do is, to accept with gratitude what has 
been, or shall be dispensed. 3. That I am wholly 
unconscious of originating a single idea in these 
communications, and cannot see one particle of 
evidence for believing that they were psychologi- 
cally derived from my mind. Many of the ideas 
are unlike any that I had previously formed ; and 
those fundamental ones, in which my son was edu- 
cated by me, are as independently expressed, as 
they ever could be, were he alive in the flesh to 
utter them. And I must say that, to my under- 
standing, there never was a more absurd hypothe- 
sis brought forward to account for unquestionably 
intelligent effects, than that they proceed from ut- 
terly unconscious minds. On such a hypothesis it 
may be presumed, that unconscious minds have 
produced all effects, natural and artificial, in the 
universe, from the creation of a planet, to the 
making of a watch. Unless something better 
than mere supposition and assumption can be 
brought forward to render such notions probable, 
men ought to blush at the thought of using them 
in this discussion. They are utterly unphiloso- 
phical, and contrary to all settled anologies of 
cause and effect. Nevertheless, let every one be 
fully persuaded in his own mind. I cannot afford 
to quarrel even with unreasonable skepticism. I 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 217 

have always had as much as I could do to over- 
come my own. I rejoice that Heaven has so de- 
veloped my intellectual and moral nature, and so 
unfolded the great realities of immortality before 
me, that I can firmly believe what I do. By the 
faith I have I will walk, till it be superseded by 
glorious and absolute knowledge. With regard 
to the following communications, I will only add, 
that I hope no one will grudge the comfort they 
afford to bereaved hearts, however slender may be 
considered the thread on which that comfort is 
suspended. 

COMMUNICATIONS. 

(Feb. 14.) Have faith in God. He will cause 
the promises of His Gospel to cheer and sustain 
you in this hour of trouble. " Let not your hearts 
be troubled ; ye believe in God," believe also that 
He is able to save you in all your troubles and 
afflictions. 

Have patience ; you will all join me in the Mas- 
ter's own good time. Mother will soon feel bet- 
ter, I think. How the angels rejoice that I am 
with them ! How will you rejoice — all, when we 
meet in this happy sphere. 

I hope to be able to move mother's hand soon. 
Have faith and patience, dear mother ; I shall ever 
be with you to comfort and bless. Mother, this is 
Augustus writing — do not doubt. 

(Feb. 15.) I wish to say to mother and all of 



218 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

you, that when I passed out of my clayey tene- 
ment, I did not suffer, but was so happy I am un- 
able to describe it. Have you read Davis's Phil- 
osophy of Death ? He was pretty nearly right in 
that part of his work. So the spirits (my com- 
panions) tell me. 

Do not think so much of my last illness ; it was 
the gate to glory. Think of this beautiful land, 
where we all shall soon be reunited. You will be 
elevated to purer communion with perfected spir- 
its by what seems to you a terrible blow. 

(Feb. 16.) I wish to say a word to mother. 
She wishes to be a Medium for writing. She will 
be, but now she is weak and exhausted, and could 
not bear it ; and therefore I shall not attempt to 
influence her in that way. But she is susceptible 
to impressions, and she must not doubt them. I 
am with her, and do comfort her ; it is not imagi- 
nation at all. 

We form incorrect ideas of what our feelings 
will be when we are received into the spirit world. 
It is right ; we could not perform our duties while 
on earth, if we had a full conception of the eter- 
nal world. 

I want him [father] to preach from 1 Cor. x : 
12. The Hopedale people are in a condition to 
be benefitted by such a sermon as he would preach 
from that text. [The words are — " Let him that 
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall ;" and 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 219 

were preached from, as requested, on the ensuing 
Sabbath with good effect.] 

Ques. Can you see spirits in other spheres, 
and at a distance from you ? Ans. I distinctly 
see all spirits who are near to me, as I formerly 
saw my earthly friends. And I now see spirits 
more easily than I do mortals. I cannot look 
through infinite space, as I once supposed spirits 
could. 

Q. Were you with me to impress me with 
your presence strongly last Sunday, when I was 
returning from meeting? I was. Q. Can you 
tell me where I was at the moment I was most 
sensible of your presence? Near William's, as 
you were coming from the school-house. [Ex- 
actly correct.] 

Q. You say you are a teacher ; can you explain 
somewhat the particulars ? Ans. I teach those 
younger than myself. Many children inhabit the 
fourth sphere, as they do all the spheres higher 
than this, and one lower, the third ; but in the first 
and second there are only a few children. Few 
are so low as to go into that state. We have a 
peculiar way of gathering knowledge : study is 
made a pleasure— one of the greatest we have 
here, where all is pleasure. A knowledge of the 
sciences is combined with religious knowledge. 
Words are inadequate to express our manner of 
gaining information ; it is delightful. We study 
to get a knowledge of all which earthly scholars 



220 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

do, but not through books. The Teachers' 
thoughts are ours, the moment we behold their 
faces, if they choose to have it so. Ideas are not 
confused ; but the will to learn we must have, or 
to learn is impossible. I have not given you a 
very clear idea of it ; but more hereafter. 

[Interrupted by company. Letters of condo- 
lence received by his sister Abbie, and read with 
Weeping.] My weeping Abbie, those letters call 
forth tears, although there is consolation in them. 
Such praises as I receive are all undeserved. Weak 
was I, and erring, as others of my kind. For all 
that was good I am grateful, as it has been such a 
source of hope and strength to all the dear friends 
I have left — left, did I say? No, I am with you 
all. You will yet realize it even more than you 
do now. And Abbie, you cannot love to have me 
write more than I love to do so. You will have 
more and more. There will certainly be unmis- 
takable communications from this beautiful world, 
in a short time. Death will lose its terror. We 
shall indeed be separated; but I wish you to feel 
that I am so much more happy, and am exerting 
an influence over you more powerful for good than 
I have done, or ever might have done, had I re- 
mained on the earth. 

(Feb. 19.) Q. Do you seem to be at a consid- 
erable distance from the earth ? And how does 
it appear to you ? Ans. At quite a distance ; we 
see all the earths, as well as the one you inhabit. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 221 

They do not look as stars or planets do to you. 
They are indeed worlds like yours, and we see 
them as such. 

Q. Have you anything analogous to sleep, or 
refreshment in your state? Ans. Our rest is 
change. Our food is spiritual. Knowledge is 
food. Spirits more enlightened might explain 
more than I am now able to do. 

Q. Have you seen any spirits that were really 
unhappy ? Ans. I have seen those not as happy 
as myself, but none that might be termed unhappy. 
Conscience is a fearful tormentor, and spirits, even 
after they reach the fourth sphere, are not su- 
premely happy at all times. 

Q. Do you distinctly remember what occurred 
to you while on earth ? Ans. Perfectly so. But 
many things which were once unexplainable, and 
sources of unhappiness to me, while on the earth, 
are fully explained now. To think of the past to 
me is delightful. 

Q. Respecting the transition of a spirit from 
place to place, &/C, &,c. Ans. I remove, but it is 
with the quickness of thought. I do not come 
into the room [necessarily], but am and must be 
near, to communicate freely. If I wish to be 
here, I am here at any moment ; and if I wish to 
return, I return as quickly. During last evening's 
sitting, I returned to my [spirit] home several times. 

Q. Have you dwellings, &,c. ? Ans. We are 
in open space ; our dwelling is immensity. 



222 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

Q. Concerning appearances of things in the 
spirit world. Ans. Things analogous to nature, 
but not to art, we have. 

Q. Concerning spheres and the qualifications 
of spirits for particular spheres. Ans. We go in- 
to the society of purer spirits when we enter a 
higher sphere, and that is what we mean by the 
term. [The qualifications of a spirit for a partic- 
ular sphere] all relate to character, moral and 
spiritual. Those spirits who inhabit the second 
sphere, and the Jirst also, have no desire for the 
society of seventh-sphere spirits, and consequently 
never or very seldom see them. Spirits of the 
fourth sphere and upwards do indeed exert an in- 
fluence on those of the first and second ; but it 
is in a similar way to that in which we influence 
you. 

Q. Can you describe how you are able to write 
through a medium, Sic. ? Ans. I feel as though 
I enter into her for the time being, or as if my 
spirit entered into her. I am disencumbered of 
my spiritual form, and take hers. More than one 
spirit can enter the medium at once. The medi- 
ums all go into the trance by means of several 
spirits entering the body at one time. 

Q. Can mediums avoid going into faintings and 
trance ? Ans. Will can prevent it, unless weak- 
ness is brought on by sitting too much. 

Q. How can we insure a communication from 
a particular spirit with whom we desire inter- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 223 

course? Ans. If your mind is concentrated on 
one spirit, and you wish to hear from that one, he 
or she is generally present. Several spirits do not 
enter unless the medium sits too long, or requests 
it, as mediums do when they go into the trance. 

Q. Can you describe the personal appearance 
of spirits in the lower spheres ? Ans. They look 
far less beautiful than do spirits of the fourth 
sphere ; and spirits increase in beauty of appear- 
ance as they advance to higher spheres. Those 
of the first look as the inhabitants of the earth 
do, — some of them are not as beautiful as earth's 
inhabitants. 

Q. Can you read our thoughts? Ans. I can 
read your thoughts very easily when Alice [the 
Medium] is sitting : and can do so at any time 
more easily than when I was with you in the flesh. 

Q. Have you anything corresponding to prayer, 
singing, and other devotional exercises ? Ans. Our 
prayers are continual. Our praises are continual. 
How could it be otherwise, where all is joy ? We 
do not pray audibly. There is no need of preach- 
ing: the countenance is a never ending sermon; 
all are preachers here. But some cannot impress 
truths as others can. In this we are like to earth's 
inhabitants. 

Q. Can you pass through solid substances, &,c? 
Ans. My spirit can pass through any substance, 
but it must first be divested of the spiritual body 
[or form.] 



224 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

Spirits met me from the fourth, fifth, and sixth 
spheres when I left the body. 

(Feb. 20.) I shall soon be able to give my testi- 
mony without having it warped by the condition 
of the medium. You will know that your son is 
really a spirit, and with you often — nay, always, 
when your thoughts rest on me with deep regret. 
And in the silent night-watches, when steeped in 
for get fulness, in dreams you will still behold me, 
as I was on the earth, or as a beatified spirit. 
Mother may and probably has beheld me in her 
dreams. I have endeavored to impress my image 
on her mind, but am not certain whether I suc- 
ceeded in doing so. 

[In answer to a question.] I have a spiritual 
form, which I assume or cast off as occasion re- 
quires. I have my spiritual form or body when I 
communicate by tippings or rappings, but to write 
my spirit must enter the medium [without its form], 
otherwise I am unable to control her will or mus- 
cles. You are aware that I assume my form at a 
moment's warning. The moment I leave Alice's 
[the Medium's] body, I assume my own. If I 
hover near you at other times, my spiritual form 
is with me. The doors do not have to be opened 
[for our admission], as we do not have to enter the 
room to move the table, &,c. It is done by an ef- 
fort of the will ; which at present we are not able 
to explain fully — partly because you could not un- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 225 

derstand it, and because you are not in a condition 
to know it. 

[Ans. to question respecting what constitutes 
one a medium.] I wish I could explain it, but am 
unable now. It depends upon peculiar conditions 
of the physical system ; although a pure-minded 
medium will receive [correspondingly] high com- 
munications. You are aware that some persons 
have become mediums, and continued to be such 
but a short time, owing to some change in their 
health or constitutions. 

Q. Concerning how mediums happen to fall in- 
to fainting fits, and other nervous irregularities. 
Ans. They abuse themselves by sitting irregularly, 
and too much ; by sitting in the midst of crowds — 
skeptics and those who trust implicitly, all gathered 
together, forming anything but the harmonious 
circle which should surround a medium. They 
are reduced to the state you speak of by these 
abuses, and by their own opposition to it. Medi- 
ums should be calm, passive, prayerful, waiting 
for the truth, no matter how much it conflicts with 
their preconceived opinions. It would be next to 
impossible [for us] to write freely with a person 
dispossessed of conscientiousness and religious 
trust, or one entirely devoid of those qualities. 

Q. Are we in danger from evil spirits? Ans. 
It depends upon yourselves altogether. With the 
deep religious and prayerful spirit you manifest, 
I see no danger of evil spirits. Spirits from the 



226 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

first, second, and third spheres are the only ones 
we call low spirits, and they are not attracted to 
the prayerful, devout, the sincere seeker after 
communion with elevated spirits. They seek for 
congeniality, and go where they find it. 

[Ans. to question.] I can communicate with 
those in the lower spheres, and can send into 
those above. I can visit the fifth sphere now, and 
do often. After arriving at the highest degree of 
the fourth or any sphere, we are allowed to visit 
the next higher. This is well. We desire to 
inhabit said sphere after visiting it ; and to will to 
do so is equivalent to going there ; or at least we 
are sure to inhabit it in a very short time. 

[Ans. to question concerning directions for be- 
coming mediums.] The same directions for all 
who wish to become mediums. Sit once a day, 
and fix your mind on the spirit with whom you 
wish to communicate. Lay your hand passively 
in your lap, and wait calmly until we are able to 
move it. Where there is a sincere desire for spir- 
itual communications all good spirits desire to 
manifest themselves, and improve every opportu- 
nity to do so. 

(Feb. 21.) [dues, concerning errors in com- 
munications, &/C.] Ans. I must charge it to im- 
perfection, and want of passiveness in the medi- 
um. You may often at first get contradictory 
communications. It requires much patience to 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 227 

wait for all weakness of mind and body to be cor- 
rected in most mediums. 

Q. How near must you be to communicate? 
Ans. We must be within a few feet. We some- 
times enter the room, but are not necessitated to 
do so. We cannot communicate miles off; or spir- 
its from the fourth sphere cannot. As we advance 
to higher spheres, we can communicate from a 
greater distance. 

Q. Is it right to aspire to converse with spirits, 
&c? Ans. It is right to aspire after it ; but it 
may not be possible for you to hold converse with 
spirits — not entirely owing to your spiritual con- 
dition, however. That might warrant it, and yet 
it may not be the will of the Infinite to have it so. 

Spirits of the higher spheres, the seventh and 
sixth, are termed angels. All are angels in the 
Celestial sphere, the one great Sphere above all 
others. 

(Feb. 24.) Be hopeful. I shall yet make my 
presence such a reality that you cannot doubt it. 
Your thoughts are upon me so much, I am very 
much drawn towards you — more than spirits usu- 
ally are towards their earthly friends. The oftener 
you indulge in meditation on spiritual things, the 
more easy will it become for me to manifest mv- 
eelf to you. Do you not often feel in those sea- 
sons of meditation that I am with you ? Can you 
not almost feel my presence ? It is at such times 
o2 



228 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

that I am near you, and you are blessed, as you 
are not under other circumstances. 

Q. Concerning Adin and Pearley, two brothers 
who died young, many years since. Ans. I often 
see them. They have various occupations, as 
other spirits have, but are not confined to any one 
thing. They are with me usually when I visit you. 
They are here now. [Question about their looks 
and personal appearance.] There is a family re- 
semblance in all spirits, so far as I have observed. 
Adin and Pearley are men, as much as if they had 
lived on the earth until they became such. 

(Feb. 25.) Q. Have you heard, or do you 
know whether we are to have any remarkable man- 
ifestations from the spirit world soon ? Ans. I 
have heard and knoic that there is reason to expect 
great and astounding manifestations from us with- 
in two or three years. These communications are 
but a commencement of what you may expect. 

Q. Can you give us any distinct conception of 
the scenes around you, and of your sensations ? 
A. What should they be but joyous? You can- 
not expect me to describe them. I should know 
of nothing earthly with which I could compare 
our sensations. 

(March 5.) [On Saturday, P. M., (of the day 
his fatal sickness commenced at night,) as he was 
returning to his boarding place, he suddenly re- 
ceived a strong premonition, seemingly as from a 
spirit speaking to him in these words : " You are 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 229 

going to be very sick." He mentioned this to 
Mrs. Washburn, his hostess, twice during the early 
part of the evening ; adding that he had not felt 
go well as on that afternoon for some weeks. Re- 
ferring to this premonition, he now, March 5th, 
says :] 

Pearley [his spirit brother] impressed me with 
the fact that I was going to be sick, on that Sat- 
urday afternoon. He has informed me of it since 
I came here. 

When I survey the glories of the Spirit Home, 
and contrast them with the minor beauties of the 
earth I once inhabited, my soul thrills with joy 
unutterable. I am amazed while with you, that 
you can ever shed a tear at my change. And if 
to me the transition is so delightful, when my path 
was so cloudless on earth, what must it be to the 
children of affliction ! Ah, the joy that I have 
witnessed when some, whose way through life was 
ever gloomy, first beheld the wondrous glories of 
our world! You must taste it, feel it, to under* 
stand it. 

Q. Could we have done anything effectual for 
your recovery? We have often reflected on it 
with sad anxiety. Ans. You must not think of it 
It is not well to do so. You could not have done 
anything which would have restored me to health ; 
although you might have relieved me somewhat, 
had you been with me earlier. I do not like to 
recall it ; you must look above. Think not of 



230 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

what / suffered, while so many art offering now, 
and I am so happy here. 

Father, I am fast advancing. The glories of 
higher spheres are daily unfolded to me, although 
I still remain in the fourth. 

(March 8.) Blissful thought ! all darkness 
turned to light I I am enraptured, nor can I ex- 
press my joy. I see in my mind's eye trials and 
sorrows innumerable for Earth's inhabitants ; but 
beyond it all is the prospect of a brighter day ; 
when among all the blessings, not the least shall 
be communion with the spirits of the pure and 
good. Some of you will see that day. Do you 
ask how I can foretell this ? I know how the in- 
habitants of other Earths have progressed, and the 
order is the same in all. It will be gradual, and 
some years will pass before a great change. You 
have already had phrophecies to this effect ; heed 
them. Father, be patient, watch and wait. An- 
other century cannot commence, before this great 
change will be wrought. I may not tell you more. 
I say again, be patient, watch and hope. 

(At sundry dates not noted.) 

Miss Cornelia Strange, one of the Entering 
Class at the Bridgewater Normal School — which 
class was much under the instruction of A. A. B. 
for the eight weeks of his Teaching — was taken 
sick about a week after his death, and deceased a 
week later. She purported to be present one day, 
and communicated as follows: <k Cornelia Strange 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 231 

is here, and happy to communicate. My dear 
Teacher is with me, and with what joy were we 
reunited ! Friends on earth we were, but truer 
friends in heaven. Ah, friends, how can you 
weep, when we are in such a blissful clime? I 
entreat you, think of the time when we shall all 
together join in anthems of praise to the Sover- 
eign of this lovely Home, the Spirit-Land. Halle- 
lujah ! Hallejah!" 

Augustus to his sister Abbie : 

You must not think of me as I should have 
been, or as I was, but as a spirit hovering near you 
to soothe and bless. True, I should have been 
with you now in body, [it was vacation] had I 
lived ; but is it not more blessed to have a spiritual 
companion and comforter than an earthly? You 
have no need now to think of me as subject to 
temptations and trials, but as one who, freed from 
them, may still be with you, still cheer you with 
hope and consolation, and at last welcome you, 
when your pilgrimage shall end, to these blessed 
mansions, where love and joy shall ever abound. Is 
it not selfish in you, Abbie, to think of wishing 
me back to the earth, when you so fully realize 
the sufferings which I have escaped by my early 
removal from it? Hope still — trust in the Re- 
deemer — and in all things you shall be able to say 
with your whole heart, "Hedoeth all things wehV , 
Think not more of those who have passed to the 



232 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

Spirit World before you, than of the many dear 
friends left behind. 

(March 23.) [To his parents, &,c,, just after 
Quarterly Meeting at Hopedale.] See you not 
hovy all your afflictions work for good ? Be not 
disheartened; brighter days will dawn upon this 
benighted world ; brighter days upon Hopedale. 
Surely you see evidences of this already, in the 
earnest zeal of those with you, and in the deep in- 
terest of many abroad. Your meeting has been 
one deeply interesting to many, very many, good 
spirits. We have an ardent desire, oftentimes, 
when such meetings are held, to manifest ourselves 
in some unmistakable way ; but you are not pre- 
pared for that yet. 

I wish to tell you first, that since I last wrote, 
[i. e., nearly a week since, as understood,] I have 
entered the fifth sphere. I am surrounded by 
many who were friends of yours, and of the Hope- 
dale people. 

[In answer to remarks of his father.] True, 
this is a bright and happy world, but I can leave 
it with pleasure to do anything towards consoling 
you. The earth you inhabit is not all darkness 
and gloom — although many the sorrows you must 
all pass through before entering a better. Few 
persons have as just conceptions of the Sprit Home 
as you do, father and mother ; but you, too, have 
fallen shoit of the reality in your ideas of it. 

I would gladly do much more than I am at pres- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 233 

ent able, that you might realize my presence of- 
tener ; and you must remember that I am obliged 
to wait as well as yourself; which is not very 
agreeable when we behold all the sins and follies 
of Earth's inhabitants, and feel that were they in 
a right state, individually and socially, we might 
do so much to benefit them. But the time is not 
far distant when we shall be able to do so. What 
joy then for you, and for us ! Do not think I am 
afar off, when you do not receive long communi- 
cations. Think rather of the time, when to have 
seen the half of what you now see, and believed 
that it came from spirits, would have given you 
unspeakable joy. Does it not now give you much 
happiness to know we are near, and can in some 
degree make our presence felt, even though you 
may wish for something more striking, more con- 
vincing to all around ? 

Do you wish the society of pure spirits ? Make 
yourselves pure and holy in thought and conversa- 
tion. Listen to the breathings of the Divine Spir- 
it, nor fail to heed its warnings. Your experience 
has taught you that your happiest moments are 
those spent in communion with the Deity. Why 
then seek for happiness in any other way ? The 
cares of the busy world weary and perplex your 
minds, and from them you gladly turn to the joys 
supreme which you find in forgetfulness of them 
all, and in communion with the Infinite. 

(April ].) Oh, my dear mother, you may not 



234 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

know how happy I am in watching over you, and 
others of my earthly friends. It is one of my 
greatest joys. 

It is not right that the glories of the Spirit 
Home should be all unfolded to you now. You 
are not prepared for it ; neither is it in our power 
to tell you much more than we do. When we 
shall be able to control mediums entirely, so that 
their thoughts and ours shall not be mixed, we 
shall have much more to say. As yet there has 
been none whom we could entirely control. 

What a glorious thought, that we shall all one 
day be united in this blissful Home ! You will 
then be able to comprehend all — perfectly to un- 
derstand why I was taken from you. You begin 
to do so now. Hope my friends, hope evermore. 

(April 4.) It seems as though all the joys of 
my Spirit Home were enhanced by the pleasure of 
holding converse with my earthly friends. Trust 
in God. He superintends all things, both the 
present and future. Angels watch your progress, 
and the progress of all with deep interest. The 
portals of Heaven are opened wide, and the in- 
habitants of earth are entering constantly. The 
joys, the glories of our Home amaze, entrance 
them ; and as they gaze enraptured, they are wel- 
comed with seraphic songs to this land — truly a 
" land of rest," but a rest so active, that, were you 
to know the full extent of it, you perhaps would 
think it must be wearying. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 235 

How glorious the thought ! You shall yet hold 
free converse with spirits — pure and perfected 
spirits; and their revelations will astonish the 
world, while they will assist in the great work of 
Reformation which now seems to move so slowly. 
It is moving slowly but surely, and by " Faith's 
discerning eye" the pure and good already see the 
dawning of a new day. I speak to you much of 
Earth's reformation ; but it is so certain that it 
will come, I wish to infuse into your minds a por- 
tion of my own Faith and Hope. 

It seems to me strange that you are not as full 
of hope and joy as myself; and when I see father 
and mother sad and desponding, mourning my de- 
parture from the Earth, I can hardly endure to 
have them so. I wish to have them look into the 
future, and see as I do, how all these things will 
work for good. Trials and sorrows I also see, 
but beyond those the eternal reign of peace and 
righteousness. Your reward will come then, 
father, and also the reward of all true souls, who 
are and have so long been laboring for the redemp- 
tion of the world from its weight of sin and wo. 
I will not write more this morning, but bid you 
adieu. Only let me once more entreat you to look 
with the eye of faith into the future, and withpa- 
tience wait. 

(April 23.) Day after day passes, and spirits 
continually watch the progress of this new light, a 
light which is dawning upon many a soul hereto* 



236 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

fore wandering in skepticism, without God or a 
Savior. Oh, that this light may soon dawn upon 
the benighted souls of all mankind ! Then will 
the great day of jubilee have come, and with it the 
sorrows of the past be done away. The tears of 
the mourner shall be dried, and at the departure 
of each soul from the world will be heard songs 
of rejoicing and anthems of praise — praise that a 
spirit is born into the Eternal world. 
• Listen still, my friends, to the voices which 
speak peace and consolation to your inner natures, 
and while you enjoy the pleasure of conscious 
communion with spirits, think of those who in the 
darkness of their souls can feel no such conscious- 
ness. 

Oh, rapture divine ? The glories daily unfolded 
to me fill my soul's whole nature with such a real- 
izing sense of the goodness of the Infinite Aulhor 
of these blessings, that I would fain impress you 
with some portion of my joy. I look, and all 
good spirits look with peculiar pleasure on the 
great work of Social Reform. When we look 
upon the world around you and see how vanity, 
self-love, sensuality, and kindred vices fill the 
hearts of the greater part of mankind, how the 
desire of wealth, and the love of power cause man 
to oppress and enslave his brother man, we are 
made to rejoice by turning our eyes to this Dale, 
and in the vision of faith beholding the whole 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 237 

earth, under such principles and those even better, 
changed into the Eden that once was. 

You cannot realize the love which is ever flow- 
ing from the inhabitants of the Heavenly Home. 
This unbounded love and pity exerts an influence, 
which, though little understood or felt, is doing a 
vast amount of good ; rendering many a heart, 
otherwise desolate, full of joy and peace ; smooth- 
ing the couch of sickness and death, and while it 
ushers into immortal blessedness the departed 
spirit, speaks such words of hope and consolation 
to the mourner as no earthly heart could dictate. 
The guilty one, too, who at times seems almost 
unworthy of a thought, is under the influence of 
its messengers. With words of forgiveness and 
pity they continually turn his thoughts back to his 
day* of innocence, or in gentle tones speak of the 
Savior's love and sufferings, and with untiring pa- 
tience continue their watch — restraining him from 
still viler deeds, even when they succeed not in 
turning him to virtue's ways. If pure and holy 
spirits can thus speak to the vilest of God's crea- 
tures, shall man with his frailty and imperfection 
disdain to do so? Ah, when will the religion of 
Christ be so instilled into the heart of man, that 
he will follow His example in visiting the poor, the 
ignorant, the sinful, and endeavoring to comfort, 
educate and reclaim ! 

The following is a communication purporting to 
come from the same spirit. It was received a few 



238 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

weeks since, through Mary E. Bowers, another 
Writing Medium, at Hopedale : — 

When is this world to move, as does the Spirit 
world? When are men's thoughts to be con- 
densed into spiritual ideas? When is the light 
from God to cover the whole face of the earth ? 
When, oh when, is the Church of God to be 
awakened with a new and holy zeal ? When the 
great centre of the universe to throb and beat, as 
though some mighty power had awakened within ? 
When is God to reveal himself in an unmistakable 
manner to feeble, suffering, and sinning human- 
ity ? When the dogmas of sectarianism to be 
scattered to the blast ? When the prisoner to be 
loosed from his chains, and when the Slave from 
his galling fetters? When that God-like, God- 
born principle of Peace to reign triumphant? 
When the mocker of Religion to take off his 
priestly gown, and stand forth with a bared heart, 
and a knowledge of his doings ? And finally, 
when is the world to be redeemed 1 When the 
principles are of right, and not of might ; then, 
and not till then, will sin be a stranger, to the 
hearts of men unknown. God rules in love ; and 
when his time shall come to do the good work, 
then will it be accomplished. But ye must work, 
and hasten it. Work not for him, but with him. 

Be steadfast in well doing. God will prosper 
you, and spirits of the blest will aid you. 

A. A. Balloi. 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 239 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Concluding chapter — Remarkable Manifestations 
in Boston — A strong case, in former times, 
among the Methodists in England — Visible 
Presences and Wonderful Writings in New 
York — Dr. Buchanan on the Extraordinary 
Demonstrations at Cleveland, O. 

The present chapter concludes this work. I have 
thought proper to limit it to 256 pages. I find 
myself strongly tempted to extend it, by making 
selections from the constantly accumulating mass 
of reported Manifestations ; but the rapid increase 
of publications on the subject renders this quite 
unnecessary. Regular religious Circles have just 
been organized at Hopedale, for Spiritual improve- 
ment and communication. Should we realize the 
blessings hoped for through these instrumentali- 
ties, it is possible I may deem it my duty to pre- 
pare another volume, giving the results. I close 
the present one with a few strong cases, for which 
I am indebted to published testimonies of unques- 
tionable reliability. 

Remarkable Manifestations in Boston. 

The following interesting article was originally 
*ent to Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune, 



240 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



by whom it was handed over to the Spiritual Tele- 
graph for publication. It appeared in the first 
number of that paper, and is copied thence into 
this work. It was written by a gentleman who 
speaks of himself thus : — " During the year that 
I have been a resident of this country, after an 
absence of nearly half a life-time, spent mostly in 
the armies and navies of foreign countries, I had 
invariably ridiculed the whole theory, if theory 
there be, of spiritual communications by any 
means, until some time in February, when I was 
convinced by demonstrations which I was forced 
to admit could not have been produced by any hu- 
man agency." 

He then proceeds : — 

" Happening to be at the house of William R. 
Hayden, Esq., Editor of the " Star Spangled 
Banner," I was requested to be seated at a table 
with Mr. Hayden and his wife, the latter being a 
1 Spirit Medium.' 

" I complied, and within the half hour that I 
remained, very many incidents were communi- 
cated, through the medium, which had occurred 
in other countries, some of them many years ago, 
and which I know were not in my own mind at 
the time, until brought vividly back by being 
spelled out through the medium. 

" I also received intelligence of my mother's 
death, of which I had previously been ignorant, 
and which intelligence was confirmed on the same 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 



241 



day by a telegraphic despatch, the date tallying 
exactly with that communicated by or through the 
medium. 

" But the demonstrations to which I would call 
your attention were made to myself, and appear to 
be of an entirely different nature. Some three 
weeks- since, the editor and proprietor of a paper in 
the city, being entirely skeptical on the subject, 
gave me a word or words, enclosed in an envel- 
ope which he had sealed and otherwise secured 
beyond the possibility of the contents being ex- 
tracted, or in any way come at without leaving 
marks of violence. The envelope he gave to me 
with the request that I should find, through some 
' medium,' the words. 

" On the following week, being in the city, I 
ga T e him the envelope with the two words written 
on the back. He is satisfied that the envelope had 
not been opened. That same day I received an- 
other word or w T ords sealed up as the first, from 
the hands of a gentleman who is now, and has 
been for several years, the proprietor of a city 
paper, with a request similar to the first. 

" I was sitting alone in my chamber at my resi- 
dence, a short distance from the city, at about 11 
o'clock on the night of the 8th of April, when, 
having just finished a newspaper article, on which 
I had been very busily engaged during the day, 
I leaned back in my chair, and taking up a guitar, 
which was the favorite instrument of my wife 



242 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

while living, I commenced one of her native An- 
dalusian airs. 

" Five minutes might have passed, when I sud- 
denly became possessed of a sensation unlike any 
thing that I had ever experienced before, and a 
few moments afterwards, I saw the form of my 
wife standing within arm's length of my chair, 
and near the table. 

" It is utterly impossible for me to describe her 
appearance farther than that she was, so far as 
features were concerned, just as she appeared in 
life ; but there was a bright, almost dazzling ra- 
diance about her which defies description. 

" After standing for perhaps ten seconds, with 
her eyes all the time fixed on me, she took up 
from the table, the sealed envelope, held it in her 
fingers, and smiled, as I had seen her a thousand 
times when living. 

H I am as well satisfied that I saw the words in 
the envelope quite as plainly as I do these which 
I am now writing, as I am of my own existence. 
I took up my pen and wrote two names, where- 
upon the ' presence, 5 or whatever it was, laid 
down the envelope with the most meaning smile 
of satisfaction I ever beheld, and almost imme- 
diately took up a pencil and — I did not see her 
write, or lay down the pencil : but I did see the 
pencil laying on the paper, and there, too, I saw 
the following sentence written in Spanish, and 
the exact chirography of my wife when alive : — 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 243 

* God has called a mighty army for my hus- 
band' 

** Thirty seconds might have passed, during 
which time I sat and gazed at the ' form/ as free 
from agitation as I ever was in my life ; when she 
spoke, — and I should have recognized that voice 
in an instant among ten thousand, even had I not 
seen her. 

" * / must go now, but I will come again, some- 
time ;' and the next moment I was conscious of 
being alone, although I have no knowledge how 
the presence disappeared. 

" On the succeeding night I saw her in my room 
three several times after I was in bed, and if ever 
I heard words audibly spoken in my life, it was 
from that ' form,' saying : * Husband, 1 have been 
to bless our little Inez.' [Our child, now nearly 
three years old, at Granada, in Spain.] 

" On the following Monday I gave the words 
which I had written, together with the sealed en- 
velope, to the gentleman from whom I had re- 
ceived it, and who, after satisfying himself that no 
efforts had been made to get at its contents, de- 
clared the names to be correct; then opening the 
envelope in presence of witnesses who had seen it 
sealed, proved, by comparing them, that they were 
correct in every particular. 

" T received another envelope from a third 
newspaper editor that day, much more carefully 
secured than either of the others, and vesterday 
p2 



244 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

I returned it to him, with the contents written out 
correctly. 

" Now, sir, this is all past my comprehension. 
That the presence — the form of my dead wife is 
here beside me at times, I am fully convinced ; 
and at those times I see the words contained in 
those envelopes. 

" It may be all a mental hallucination": but I do 
not care to be convinced that it is so. The sensa- 
tions produced by these visits are much too pleas- 
urable for me to have the illusion, if it be one, 
destroyed. g. r. 

" Boston, April 21, 1852." 

Manifestations among the Methodists. 

The following article was originally published 
in " The Religious Messenger of the Philadelphia 
Conference," many years since. It was authen- 
ticated in its time beyond dispute. I give it a 
place, not only because of its own intrinsic im- 
portance, but as a striking sample of occasional 
Spirit Manifestations through all past ages : — 

" The following communication has been hand- 
ed us for publication by a gentleman of this city, 
who received it as here stated, from the late elo- 
quent and pious Summerfield, a short time before 
his death. We know the writer ; he is a man who 
is distinguished alike for excellence of character, 
credibility, piety, and moral worth. His name 
would at once remove every possible doubt, as to 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 245 

the faithfulness and correctness with which the 
narrative has been furnished, and as to the cer- 
tainty that the account we now give, was commu- 
nicated to him by the person above mentioned. 
—Ed. 

"The following account I received from the 
late Rev. John Summerfield soon after his return 
from England. Mr. Summerfield informed me 
that he obtained the narrative from the Rev. Rich- 
ard Watson, the gentleman who is now writing 
the excellent work entitled, l Theological Insti- 
tutes,' one volume of which has reached this coun- 
try. Mr. Watson speaks of Mr. Mills as being a 
man of integrity and good standing in the Metho- 
dist Church in England, and who was an actor in 
the extraordinary scene. Mr. Watson further in- 
formed Mr. Summerfield that he was intimately 
acquainted with Mr. Mills, and knew him to be a 
man of the greatest moral worth, and by no means 
credulous. 

u Mr. Mills had preached on a circuit in England, 
in which lived a man by the name of James, and 
his wife, with whom he was intimately acquainted, 
and at whose house he lodged when on the cir- 
cuit. He having traveled the circuit one year, 
left it to attend Conference, and was returned to 
it the second time. But in the interim, an epi- 
demic disease had prevailed in the place where 
James resided, and*both himself and his wife were 
carried off by it suddenly, and within a short time 



246 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

of each other. Mr. Mills, however, as usual, went 
to his old lodging, which was then occupied by 
the children, but felt gloomy and distressed at 
finding the abode no longer enlivened by the pres- 
ence of its former pious heads,, who had been his 
intimate friends, and in this state of mind retired 
to rest in the same room in which, on former oc- 
casions, he had been in the habit of sleeping. 

" Soon after laying down, however, Mr. Mills, 
with considerable astonishment, heard, as he sup- 
posed, some persons whispering in an adjoining 
room, into which he immediately repaired to as- 
certain who they were, but found no one. He 
again laid down and concluded that he must have 
been mistaken, but the circumstance brought to 
his recollection a rumor which he had heard at a 
place not very distant, and to which he had paid 
but little attention, that James and his wife had 
been seen several times since their death. While 
thinking on this rumor, he again heard the whis- 
pering renewed. This increased his surprise, and 
a second time he arose and searched the room, 
but with the same result. He arose the third 
time from the same cause, but after a strict search 
could find no one. After this he resolved to dis- 
regard it, and fell into a sleep and heard nothing 
more. The next morning he left the house, with- 
out mentioning the circumstance to the children, 
to attend an appointment ab6ut three miles dis- 
tant ; and as usual, dined at the house of a pious 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 247 

old lady in the neighborhood of the place. This 
woman, though poor and aged, had always in- 
sisted on the preachers staying with her, and 
through respect for her age and excellent charac- 
ter, they indulged her wishes. She provided for 
Mr. Mills a frugal repast, but declined eating with 
him, stating that she preferred waiting on him. 

The old lady was generally known by the fa- 
miliar name of Nanny, and by this name she was 
called by the preachers. While Mr. Mills was 
eating his morsel, Nanny, who was seated some 
distance from him, said, * Mr. Mills, I have a re- 
quest to make of you.' ' Well, Nanny, (he re- 
plied,) what is it?' 'Why, (said she,) that you 
preach my funeral sermon on the next Sabbath.' 
The request astonished Mr. Mills, who, looking 
at her with surprise, said, ' Nanny, what is the 
matter with you 1 Have you lost your senses V 
1 Oh, no, sir, (she replied,) I know perfectly well 
what I am talking about, for I shall die on Friday, 
at three o'clock in the afternoon, and though you 
will be some miles from this place, I want you to 
comply with my request, and if you have ever 
known anything good of me, that may be service- 
able to others, you can tell it.' 

" ' But, (said Mr. M.,) before I promise to com- 
ply with your request, I should be much gratified 
if you would inform me how you know that you 
will die on Friday, this being on Tuesday V 
* Then, sir, I will inform you. You know that re- 



248 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

ports have been in circulation that James and his 
wife have been seen in different places, by various 
persons, since their death/ ' True, (said Mr. M.) 
but I regarded it as mere rumor.' * But, sir, (she 
replied,) I saw them this morning ! 5 * You saw 
them V ' Indeed, I did sir. Early this morning, 
while sweeping my entry, I looked up towards the 
road, and I saw two persons, a man and a woman, 
coming towards the house, who appeared to me to 
resemble James and his wife. I ceased to sweep, 
and looked steadily at them until they came near 
to me, when I found it really was them? 5 Said 
Mills, * Why, Nanny, were you not afraid V ' Me 
afraid ! Mr. Mills, (she replied,) what had I to 
fear ? Indeed I was not afraid, for I knew James 
and his wife in this world, and am sure they were 
good people, and I was quite certain they had not 
become bad since they left it. Well, sir, as I was 
saying, they came up to me, and I said, ' James ! 
is that you V And he said, ' Yes, Nanny, it is 
me ; you are not deceived, this is my wife. 5 And 
I said, ' James are you happy ! 5 and he replied, 
6 1 am, and so is my wife, and our happiness far 
exceeds anything we ever conceived of in this 
world. 5 ' But, (said I,) James, if you are so hap- 
py, why have you returned? 5 To which he re- 
plied, * Strange as it may appear to you, there is 
still a mysterious union existing between us and 
our friends in this world, which will not be dis- 
solved until the resurrection. Nanny, you know 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 249 

that I and my wife died suddenly, in consequence 
of which it has been supposed that I left no will, 
and in order to prevent some uneasiness which is 
likely to exist among the children respecting my 
property, we were permitted to return to this world 
to inform some person that I did make a will, and 
where it may be found. We went,' he continued, 
6 last night to our former mansion, to inform Mr. 
Mills respecting the Will, but found he was some- 
what frightened, and therefore concluded not to 
tell him, but to see you this morning and request 
you to inform him, as he will dine with you to-day, 
for we passed him on the road, and we knew, Nan- 
ny, that you would not be frightened. 5 ' No, in- 
deed, James, I am not alarmed,' she replied, ' for 
I am vastly glad to see you, especially since you 
are happy.' ' The Will,' he said, ' is in a private 
drawer in the desk which opens by a secret spring, 
(here giving a full description of it,) which the 
children do not know of, and the executors live in 
the neighborhood. Request Mr. Mills,' he said, 
1 to return to the house after dinner, and he will 
find the Will and can see the executors, and can 
have things satisfactorily settled in the family. 
And,' said he, c Nanny, we are permitted to inform 
you, that on Friday next, at three o'clock in the 
afternoon, you will die and be with us !' ' Oh, 
James,' she replied, ' I am vastly glad to hear it. 
I wish it was Friday now.' ' Well,' said he, 
1 be ready, for the messenger will certainly call 



250 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

for you at that hour.' She replied, ' Don't fear, 
James, by the grace of God I will be ready/ and 
they left her.' 

" Mr. Mills heard the account with no small de- 
gree of astonishment, and concluded to return to 
the house from whence he came in the morning. 
Without the least difficulty he found the drawer 
and Will. He also saw the executors, and was 
pleased to find that the Will gave full satisfaction 
to all concerned. On the following Friday, at 
three o'clock, pious Nanny died, and Mr. Mills 
informed Mr. Watson that he preached her fune- 
ral sermon on the succeeding Sabbath. 

" Mr. Watson remarked to Mr. Summerfield, 
that he had always before been an unbeliever on 
the subject of apparitions, but that he did most 
fully credit this account." 

Spiritual Presences, Writing, fyc. 

The following statement was made by Mr. K 
P. Fowler of New York, a younger brother of the 
celebrated Phrenologists, O. S. &, L. N. Fowler. 
It was originally published in No. 3, vol. I., of the 
Shckinah, Professor Brittan's Spiritualistic Quar- 
terly. Mr. Fowler is a strong medium : — 
" Editor of the Shekinah, — 

" Dear sir : — In pursuance of your request to 
communicate the facts of my experience, which 
relate to the origin of the writings, I submit the 
following brief statement : — On the night of the 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 251 

21st of November, 1851, while sleeping alone in 
the third story of the house, I was awakened, 
about one o'clock, by sounds of footsteps in my 
room. Looking up, I saw five men, some of them 
dressed in ancient costume, walking about and 
conversing together. Some of them spoke with 
me, and among other things, told me not to be 
frightened, that they would not harm me, &c. I 
attempted to rise, however, to go down stairs, but 
found that my limbs were paralyzed. These 
strange visitants remained with me about three 
hours, and finally disappeared while going towards 
a window, and when within about two feet of it. 
They did not open the window. During the suc- 
ceeding night, and at about the same hour, I was 
again awakened in a similar manner, and saw sev- 
eral persons in my room. Some of those who were 
there on the previous night were present, with oth- 
ers whom I had never seen before. One of them 
had what appeared to be a box about eighteen 
inches square ; it seemed to contain electrical ap- 
paratus. They placed the box on the table, and 
then electrical emanations, like currents of light 
of different colors, were seen issuing from the box. 
One of the company placed a piece of paper, pen 
and ink, on the lid of this box. The luminous 
currents now centered around the pen, which was 
immediately taken up and dipped in the ink, and 
without the application of any other force or in- 
strument, so far as I could perceive, the pen was 



25:2 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

made to move across the paper, and a communi- 
cation was made which I have since learned was 
in the Hebrew language. This information I 
received from Prof. Bush, to whom the writings 
were submitted for translation, and whose letter 
addressed to you will accompany this statement. 
Soon after three o'clock my new companions left 
me as they had done the previous night, taking 
the box with them. During the time they were in 
my apartment, I was in possession of my natural 
senses, and not only saw them, but the furniture 
in the room, by means of the illumination which 
their presence caused ; and I also heard the clock 
strike and carriages passing in the street. 

" I have since witnessed many similar occurren- 
ces in which writings, said to be in the Hebrew, 
Arabic, Bengalee, and other languages, have, in 
like manner, been executed in my room. I only 
speak of the facts as disclosed to my senses ; of 
the several languages referred to I know nothing. 
" Yours, truly, e. p. f. 

" New York, March 25, 1852." 

Dr. Buchanan on the Manifestations. 

Dr. Jos. R. Buchanan of Cincinnati, O., in his 
Journal of Man for May, thus speaks on this sub- 
ject : — 

" Decidedly the most wonderful display of in- 
tellect from the spirits, which I have yet witnessed, 
is the command which they give the mediums of 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 253 

foreign languages. Spirits not only rap out the 
messages in languages foreign to the medium, but 
by impressing the mind of a suitable medium, en- 
able him to speak in a language, to him, entirely 
unknown. 

" A remarkable example of this occurred at 
Cleveland, when I attended a private sitting of 
mediums who were undergoing the training of 
spirits for additional manifestations. A female 
medium was brought into communication with the 
spirit of a Frenchman, and made an effort to de- 
liver his messages in the French language. As 
it was her first essay, and her faculty of language 
was naturally none of the best, the attempts were 
as awkward as those of a child when first learning 
to walk. Her pronunciation and delivery would 
never have informed one that she was speaking 
French. Nevertheless, a gentleman present, ac- 
quainted with that language, succeeded in inter- 
preting a portion of her utterance, and we were 
informed that, according to the tenor of the com- 
munication, a bloody war would soon break out 
and overwhelm the continent of Europe. That 
Louis Napoleon would preserve his power for 
seven or eight years, and that, after the end of his 
reign, France would settle down into a true re- 
public. 

11 As this was the first effort of the medium at 
speaking French, her success was as good as 
could be expected. But the displays of a more 



254 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

fully developed medium, Mr. F., were beautiful 
and astonishing. This young gentleman, a school 
teacher by profession, having no knowledge of 
any foreign language, except a slight smattering 
of the Latin, has fallen under the influence of 
spirits belonging to other nations, and speaks their 
languages familiarly, without knowing the mean- 
ing of what he is uttering. The English lan- 
guage he speaks with great propriety of diction, 
under spiritual influence. Under the influence of 
the Indian chief, Red Jacket, he delivers Indian 
speeches, sings Indian songs, and performs 'the In- 
dian dances. Having heard him speak and sing 
in the Indian language, I was very much charmed 
with his delivery ; which was eloquent and appro- 
priate, so far as we could judge of his speech in a 
foreign language. I think no one who heard him 
could doubt that it was a true systematic language 
which he was speaking, and not a mere coinage 
of fancy. Two of the company present, who were 
acquainted with Indian languages, spoke of his 
speech with approbation as a genuine Indian har- 
angue, and a fine specimen of oratory. 

" Mr. F. also declaims in a language supposed to 
be Chinese, as he writes under the control of the 
same spirit characters which resemble Chinese 
writing. I have several specimens of his writings 
in the character of a medium, some of which re- 
semble the Chinese, others the Arabic, and others 
the Hebrew. As they have not yet been exam- 



SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 255 

ined by any competent philologist, the true nature 
of these mysterious writings cannot be determined. 
I design, after submitting them to the investiga- 
tion of the learned, to have them engraved and 
published in the Journal of Man. 

" The three manuscripts resembling Chinese, 
Arabic, and Hebrew, which were written with 
great facility under spiritual control, have been 
submitted to the psychometric test, which confirms 
their spiritual origin. 

" The Hebrew manuscript gives an impression 
of an elevated, serene, and noble character, whose 
name is mentioned in the Scriptures, and whose 
character, according to the Scriptural records, 
would coincide with the impression. 

" The manuscript resembling the Arabic gave 
an impression of a very meditative lover of nature, 
in whom the perceptive organs and the moral fac- 
ulties predominated, who had written something 
in his native language, but not attained any emi- 
nent position as an author. 

" The manuscript resembling the Chinese gave 
an impression of a truly elevated and intellectual 
character ; a man of fine natural genius, extensive 
literary attainments, commanding dignity of char- 
acter, and cultivated literary and poetical pow- 
ers. His rank and reputation, both in literary 
and poetical life, were believed to be of the high- 
est order. The name which the medium was 



256 SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. 

impressed to announce for the Chinese philoso- 
pher, was Homenyong. 

" This speaking in foreign languages, and en- 
tering into communication with beings who have 
departed more than a thousand years since, speak- 
ing and writing in their own languages, is one of 
the most sublime phenomena in nature; and if, 
upon critical examination, it shall appear that 
these mysterious manuscripts, and eloquent utter- 
ances, are truly from the source from which they 
purport to come, they will make a grand addition 
to the wonders and beneficent gifts of the Deity, 
which continually excite our admiration and rever- 
ence. Yet if these phenomena relating to lan- 
guage are merely the fantastic play of imagina- 
tion, and not true spiritual manifestations, they 
are still interesting facts in the constitution of 
man." 



ERRATA. 

The author regrets to find that his proof-reading has been so de- 
fective, as to permit quite a number of errors to escape correction. 
Intelligent readers will readily set most of the mere typographical 
and slightly ungrammatical ones right. It is therefore thought unne- 
cessary to specify them. In one passage, however, the sense is so 
perverted as to require notice. Page 92, line 2, for " more than all," 
read " none at a/7." 



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